Eleanor Norcross

Art Appreciation 

Eleanor Norcross was an influential American painter, best known for her paintings of Impressionist portraits, still lifes, and genteel interiors. She is said to have made significant contributions to the art world in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. 

Born on June 24, 1854 in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, Norcross afforded a privileged education, graduating from Fitchburg High School, then attending Wheton Female Seminary. She went on to study at Boston's Massachusetts Normal Art School, where she earned a teaching certificate. She taught drawing in the Fitchburg schools.

In 1878, Norcross studied art in New York City under William Merritt Chase at the Art Students League of New York. A few years later, she moved to Paris and became a student of Alfred Stevens. He would have a huge influence in her art. An impressionist, Norcross developed a distinct style using vibrant colors, delicate brush strokes, ability to portray reflections and textures, and an emphasis on capturing the play of light and shadow.

Her father provided Eleanor a comfortable living, with the agreement that she not sell her paintings. He felt women should give their works away and not enter into the male dominated art business. 

A generous philanthropist, she donated some of her works to Wheaton College, she established the Norcross Foundation, which funded scholarships for art students and contributed to the preservation and promotion of art institutions. Additionally, the art she collected and the paintings she made became became part of the Fitchburg Art Museum. 

Woman in a Paris Garden

Still Life with Parrot

My Studio (1891)

Sources:

Wikipedia

https://fitchburgartmuseum.org/eleanor-norcross/

https://freedomsway.org/story/eleanor-norcross/

https://www.sentinelandenterprise.com/2013/07/31/salute-to-women-eleanor-norcross-artist-leaves-enduring-legacy-in-fitchburg-museum/

https://www.jstor.org/stable/23929956?seq=1

Milt Hinton

Photography Appreciation

Photography documents important moments in history. Something Milt Hinton realized after going through the 60,000 plus photos he took while traveling with jazz bands across the country and recording with renowned jazz musicians in studios. 

Born in Vicksburg, Mississippi on June 23, 1910, Milt Hinton (aka "The Judge) was an American jazz bassist, bandleader, and photographer. He played with some of the most prominent jazz musicians such as Cab Calloway, Benny Goodman, and Lionel Hampton. 

At the time, blacks in the south experienced extreme poverty and racism, and lynching was common as blacks were targeted by white racists. To escape this, Milt was sent to live with extended family in Chicago, at a very young age. This provided him the opportunity to encounter diversity among blacks and experience the abundance of music, especially jazz.

For his thirteenth birthday, he received a violin. While in high school, he played violin in the school orchestra and learned several brass instruments. After graduating high school, he attended Crane Junior College and received work as a freelance musician around Chicago. 

In 1936, Hinton joined the Cab Calloway Orchestra. During his time with the Orchestra, he took part in recording sessions with renowned jazz musicians.  

Around that time, he began taking photographs. His first camera was a 35mm Argus C3, a low-priced mass-produced camera. He would later move to a Leica, then a Canon 35mm range-finder, and Nikon F. 

Throughout his career, Milt captured many iconic images of jazz musicians and other celebrities. He is considered one of the most important photographers of jazz musicians and his photographs have been featured in many books and exhibitions.

Cab Calloway with kids and winner of the 

'Calloway Quizical,' Providence, R.I., c. 1938

Dizzy Gillespie, Grande Parade du Jazz, Nice, France, c. 1981

Louis Armstrong, Seattle Hotel Room, c. 1954

Billie Holiday (last recording date), 

recording studio, New York, 1959.

Sources:

Wikipedia

https://casualphotophile.com/2020/01/17/four-lessons-learned-through-the-photography-of-jazz-bassist-milt-hinton/

https://putthison.com/jazz-style-behind-the-scenes-photographs-of-milt-hinton/

https://www.npr.org/2005/04/10/4583452/keeping-time-the-photos-and-jazz-of-milt-hinton

https://milthinton.com/ 

Album Cover: Robert Palmer - Heavy Nova

Album Cover 

Album: Robert Palmer - Heavy Nova

Released: June 22, 1988

Photography: Terence Donovan

Design: Henry Marquez  

Model: Robert Palmer

Sources:

Wikipedia

https://www.discogs.com

Summer Time!

 

Yoga: SarahBethYoga - 10 minute Morning Yoga for Beginners

via SarahBethYoga

"Hallowed be thy Condom" by Asa Barber

Literature Appreciation

These past few months, I've been going through old PLAYBOY magazines. 

I came across an article that I remember reading back when I was a college freshman. "Hallowed be thy Condom," read the headline. The article was by Asa Barber, American author and columnist for PLAYBOY.

Although, I wasn't sexually active, when I was young, the fear was ever so present of the possibility of catching AIDS. AIDS was a fairly new and unknown thing. So, I share Asa's fears in his article: 

"But at the top of my list of manly trepidations are two items that can move my lecherous little heart into genuine arrhythmia. First, I never want to get a woman pregnant unless we both agree to it. Second, I do not want to die of AIDS. (It's common knowledge that AIDS is also a problem in the heterosexual community.) Those are probably my two biggest fears, and I have had frightening and enlightening experiences with both of them."

Reading this as a middle aged man, the article still somewhat resonates. After my divorce, I started dating. Sex was plenty and I was doing quite well for myself. But the first few years, my fear was AIDS and getting a girl pregnant. 

Like Asa, I had first hand experience sitting at my physician's office waiting to be tested for AIDS and other STDs after whoring myself, sleeping around with multiple unknown partners. And like Asa, I cried when results came back negative.

"When I was told I was HIV-negative, I felt like crying. I have dodged lots of bullets, but this was one of the biggest."

At the age of 40, I got in a relationship with a girl I was very much in love with at the time. It turned out she was mentally ill, and I knew a child with her would be the wrong thing for both of us. Yet, we had several close calls.

Like Asa, an unwanted pregnancy, which almost became a reality was a "major-league fear."  

I thought it through and made the decision to go in for a vasectomy. It was a decision I made on my own. Naturally, my girlfriend was upset. But I explained that I didn't want a child and wanted to focus on "us," leaving out that I felt she would be mentally unfit. Needless to say, the relationship didn't work out. 

Although impregnating someone was now impossible, I still had that fear of catching not only AIDS but other sexually transmitted diseases. Ironically, my current girlfriend, who I hope to be engaged with, had a hysterectomy, and has HSV. Go figure. 

But I will finish with sharing conclusion about the wonderful invention of the latex condom: 

"When you think about it, the latex condom is a marvelous invention. But most of us often fail to use it. We assume the interruption is not worth it. But I have learned, in two terrifying incidents, that the few seconds it takes to fit Mr. Happy with good protection can make all the difference in the world between responsibility and foolishness. So let this be your first commandment for the rest of your sexual life, amigos: Hallowed be thy condom."

Source: 

Wikipedia

Barber, Asa. "Hallowed be thy Condom" PLAYBOY, vol. 41, no. 11, November 1994, p. 36.

Dance: James Arthur - Naked

Choreography: Soonmi Ha (Mia)

Dancers: Jinwook Lee, Moon, Yena Park

via GNI Dance Company