Constance Whitney Warren

Art Appreciation

American sculptor, Constance Whitney Warren, was best known for her Western subjects, such as the bronze statute that sits outside the Texas State Capitol building of a cowboy riding a rearing horse. The statute was erected 1925.

The picture below was taken on January 16, 2012--interestly, Constance Whitney Warren's birthday was January 17, 1888. My son and I were playing catch on the Capitol grounds, when I remembered that I had taken a picture of the cowboy thirteen years earlier. I told my son I had to take a picture of the cowboy and compare it with the one I took back then.

Texas Cowboy at Sunset, c1996, Canon 35mm camera web

Sources: http://www.tspb.state.tx.us/SPB/Gallery/MonuList/06.htm; http://www.askart.com/askart/w/constance_whitney_warren/constance_whitney_warren.aspx

R.I.P. Katie

My mother-in-law's white schnauzer passed away recently. She was a wonderful dog with a very loving personality.

Visit my blog at http://photographywritingandmore.blogspot.com/

Charles Webster Hawthorne

Art Appreciation

American portrait painter, Charles Webster Hawthorne was best known as the founder of the Cape Cod School of Art in Massachusetts, a school that taught en plein air. He was a pupil of American painter William Merritt Chase during the American Impressionism movement. 

Below are just a few of his paintings.

Mother and Child (ca. 1917 - 1920)

The Trousseau (1910)

Nude Before Mirror (1915)

Sources: Wikipedia; http://www.tfaoi.com/newsm1/n1m288.htm; http://www.capecodschoolofart.org/index.html

"Mul-ti-pass" to Milla

Acting Appreciation

Bolero April 1998

I first noticed her as Maya Carlton, the pregnant girlfriend in the 1992 movie Kuffs. I then saw her portray a hippie musician in Richard Linklater's 1993 Dazed and Confused movie. It wasn't until I saw Return to the Blue Lagoon when I became a huge fan of Milla Jovovich. A year later, I purchased her music album, The Divine Comedy, and I listed to that CD for many years.

Wow, was I a geek. I would clip magazine pictures of Milla Jovovich and taped them to my bedroom wall. I think I may have had a poster of her as well hanging with Cindy Crawford, Christy Turlington, and Keanu Reeves--don't ask. The sad thing is that girls use to come over to my place and my room. Perhaps it explains why many of them never really stayed too long.

The role that is considered Milla's breakthrough was as Leeloo in the 1997 sci-fi movie The Fifth Element. Soon after, she starred in movies that received both accolades and critiques.

It is perhaps her role as Alice, the main protagonist in the Resident Evil franchise, that has made her a staple in sci-fi.

This month's issue of GQ magazine listed Milla Jovovich's Leeloo as one of five "Girls Who Increase Our Bandwidth!" I kind of agree. Perhaps it's her orange matted hair and being covered with what resembles toilet paper.

Sources: Wikipedia; http://www.millaj.com; Bolero Magazine, April 1998; GQ Magazine, January 2012

Antonio Guzman Capel

Art Appreciation


The well respected painter, Antonio Guzman Capel, is known for his photographic-like paintings. The Spanish painter is considered a prodigy, learning how to draw at an early age and exhibiting his artwork before his teens.

It was his candid portraits that caught my attention.  I am easily transported in his artwork and experiencing what he wants the viewer to feel.  The warmth of a mother reading to her child. The fear of a torero before meeting his match. The sensuality of a naked woman looking at you from the reflection of her vanity. And the freshness of fruits laid out on the table to be consumed.

Here are just a few of his artwork.  You can see more on his website: http://www.antoniocapel.com/.

Source: Wikipedia; http://www.antoniocapel.com/

HK doodle: Evil King

Doodle by HK

There once lived a evil king named Ned

Who wore a red robe with white tassels

And a ruby crown on his head

But no one could figure his hassle.

His pinstripped suit may have been too tight

It could have been his chattering teeth

Or maybe it was the baby crying late last night

But no one could figure his beef.

Perhaps it was the red bean soup

That he had the night before

When he made a bloop

And got a bean stuck in his sore nose.



Tutankhamun

In 1922, archaeologist and Egyptologist Howard Carter, with the financial support of English aristrocrat George Herbert, Earl of Carnarvon, discovered the tomb belonging to the Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun.

We all know the story of King Tut.  He was the young pharaoh who died at a young age. That's the extent of our knowledge of his story.

Tutankhamun reigned over Egypt 3,350 years ago. He was a young king that was admired and respected by his people. Perhaps the reason for that respect was due to his knowledgeable advisers. 

The young pharoah ascended to the throne when he was nine years of age. He was wed to his half-sister, Ankhesenamun (daughter of Nefertiti). They had children but were both stillborn. 

It's still a mystery as to how Tutankhamun died. Recently, scientists believe he died of a combination of malaria and a broken leg. Regardless, the debate as to his death continues.

A few days ago, my parents took my son and I to the Tutankhamun exhibit at my alma mater--University of Texas Pan American in Edinburg. The exhibit showcased artifacts found in the young pharoah's tomb. It also contained the mummified King in his coffin; although, I question its authenticity.

Regardless, the exhibit provided guests a glimpse of Tutankhamun's life, death, and its discovery by Carter. 




Inside the Tutankhamun exhibit

The Pharoah's Curse

The Ritual Couch

Nefertiti, aunt to Tutankhamun

The anubis shrine guard King Tut's internal organs

Alabaster canopic chest held King Tut's internal organs

Golden Shrine and Tutelary Goddesses

The Pharaoh's coffin

Sources: Wikipedia; http://portal.utpa.edu/utpa_main/dess_home/admissions_home_new/visit_home/kingtut_home