Saturday, October 20, 2018

Hobo Nickel Art

Hobo Nickel



Hobo Nickel



Hobo Nickel



Hobo Nickel


From yee Wiki:

The hobo nickel is a sculptural art form involving the creative modification of small-denomination coins, essentially resulting in miniature bas reliefs. The US nickel coin was favored because of its size, thickness, and relative softness. However, the term hobo nickel is generic, as carvings have been made on many different denominations.

Due to its low cost and portability, this medium was particularly popular among hobos, hence the name.



Thursday, October 18, 2018

The Frank Lloyd Wright Collection of Surimono

Surimono



Surimono



Surimono



Surimono


Surimono ("printed things') constitute one of the most delicate genres in Japanese printmaking. This genre fascinates because it combines poetry and image and because it presents a pictorial puzzle, which provides the viewer with a particular insight into the intellectual and literary world of late 18th- and early 19th-century Edo (today's Tokyo). 

Major artists such as Katsushika Hokusai, Utagawa Kunisada, Totoya Hokkei, and Yashima Gakutei, to name but a few, provided imagery to accompany the poetic exploits of poetry club members. 

The prints were circulated among networks of poets and friends and, in contrast to other prints of the period, were not produced for commercial gain.

Intricate still lifes, historical and mythical heroes, actors on the stage, and tranquil landscapes form a visual partnership with the witty poems (kyōka). The beauty of these prints is enhanced by the astonishing printing quality, including the use of metallic pigments and blindprinting.



Thursday, October 11, 2018

Emotional Regulation: Mindful Action, Breathing, and Centering




Centering is an ancient visualization technique that is popular in Aikido -- the Japanese defensive martial art of "spiritual harmony." It teaches you to focus on the here and now, taking power away from outside concerns and negative thoughts, and helping you remain stable and grounded.

Aikido trains your mind to control your body's reactions using the concept of "ki." This holds that all physical and mental power comes from the flow of energy around your body. Energy is lost when you are tense or stressed, but Centering redirects negative energy in a beneficial way.

Think back to a time when you were feeling stressed or afraid. What physical reactions did you experience? Tense muscles, rapid breathing, sweating palms, and a racing heart are all common reactions to a stressful situation.

Now, imagine that all of these feelings are the result of energy flowing through your body. Centering uses your mind to redirect this energy to the center of your body, giving you a sense of inner calm.

The technique was adopted as a power-enhancing tool by sport psychologist Dr. Robert Nideffer in the mid-1970s, and he outlined it in his 1992 book, "Psyched to Win." It was also championed by performance coach Dr. Don Greene in his 2002 book, "Fight Your Fear and Win."

When Centering Is Useful

You can use Centering to improve your focus and manage stress before a speech, musical recital, exam, job interview, negotiation, or sporting event -- whenever you need to keep a clear head in difficult circumstances.

Centering can also be useful in more common situations. If you need to gather your thoughts before a difficult conversation, or if you have to deliver bad news, use Centering to channel your nerves so that you can communicate clearly, compassionately and effectively.

Friday, October 5, 2018

Claude Glass (Black Mirror)

Claude Glass



Claude Glass



William Gilpin



 Claude Lorrain


Seems like a gimmick -- but I still want one...

A "Claude glass" (or black mirror) is a small mirror, slightly convex in shape, with its surface tinted a dark color. Bound up like a pocket-book or in a carrying case, Claude glasses were used by artists, travelers, and connoisseurs of landscape and landscape painting. 

Claude glasses have the effect of abstracting the subject reflected in them from its surroundings, reducing, and simplifying the color and tonal range of scenes and scenery to give them a "painterly" quality.

They were famously used by picturesque artists in England in the late 18th and early 19th Centuries as a frame for drawing sketches of picturesque landscapes. The user would turn their back on the scene to observe the framed view through the tinted mirror -- in a sort of pre-photographic lens -- which added the picturesque aesthetic of a subtle gradation of tones.

The Claude glass is named for Claude Lorrain, a 17th-Century landscape painter, whose name in the late 18th Century became synonymous with the picturesque aesthetic, although there is no indication he used or knew of it or anything similar. The Claude glass was supposed to help artists produce works of art similar to those of Lorrain. William Gilpin, the inventor of the picturesque ideal, advocated the use of a Claude glass saying, "they give the object of nature a soft, mellow tinge like the colouring of that Master." Gilpin mounted a mirror in his carriage, from where he could take in "a succession of high-colored pictures -- continually gliding before the eye."