Tour de California

So, I have a really good friend who LOVES, *LOVES LOVES LOVES* the Tour de France. Interestingly enough, she is not a biker, or bike racer, or bike club member herself, she just really loves cycling as a sport. Through association, I too have become a fan, albeit not quite as religiously as my girlfriend. We recently met up in San Francisco and got to watch the Prologue and Stage I of the Amgen Tour of California. My photos are up on flickr.com.


(Above: Michael Rogers #41, T-Mobile)


(Above: Levi Leipheimer #21, Discovery Team on stage after winning stage 1.)


(Graeme Brown # 13 of Rabobank (center), Greg Henderson #47 of T-Mobile (left), and Allan Davis #27 of Discovery Team (on the right) take the stage...Stage 1 of the Amgen Tour.

Alice in Quicktime Wonderland

That is to say, I made a HUGE assumption it was done with Quicktime. But it could have been created in Dreamweaver, or Adobe-somethingorother or Flash?.... Now that I think about it, I'm really not sure... but don't you almost always get one of those stupid and mostly pointless notes on a Flash website saying something to the effect of; "If you don't have Flash by now dummy-head you cannot see cool stuff on this website that will for purposes not described here, preform a temporary hostile take-over of your computer"????
Should I just re-title the blog as...Alice in My-Computer-is-on-Mushrooms Wonderland? The point is this, I don't have the fabulous pop-up book (yet) so this variation (link below) of through-the-rabbit-hole is a minute or two worth of online-joy.
Alice In Pop-UP Wonderland

J. Otto Seibold where are you? Did someone forget to re-register the domain name Jotto.com?

Cool Art books: Beatrix Potter

Quite some time ago, I discovered an art book about Beatrix Potter. After reviewing her drawings and watercolor landscapes I have to say I'm even more impressed with her work. The scope and range of her talents were perhaps far and beyond what we were familiar with in her illustrations of Peter Rabbit. I haven't seen the movie yet, but look forward to a lazy Sunday afternoon perhaps when there's more time. I offer here a few examples from Beatrix Potter's Art.


(Caterpillars from the 'Dalguise 1875' sketchbook. These were drawn when Beatrix potter was nine years old. On the next page of the sketchbook she added observations on their habits. Pencil and watercolor)


(Studies of a Hazel dormouse, 1887. 'When I was a cchild I had a favourite dormouse - a sleep little animal...' This was Xarifa, a much-loved pet, named from a ballad by J. G. Lockhart. Pencil and sepia ink.)


(Six heads of herwick rams, drawn some years later than the Scottish Blackface. Pencil.)



(Heads of an amiable pig ? 1910. Drawn as preperatory studies for The Tale of Pigling Bland. 'The poor little cherub had such a sweet smile.' Pencil and watercolor.) -AND- ( Sheep's head, in a daringly experimental style and a vivid palette. Particles of pure color shimmer with light. Pencil and watercolor.)

Kunstbar!

Been to the Kunstbar lately? I love that after several years, it's *STILL* up and running.
(Make mine a Matisse please bartender.)

Cool Art books: Maurice Sendak 1980 to Present

The chosen illustration for Mr. Sendak's book cover is that of Mozart at his klavier in the "waldehutte" or secluded studio ("small working studio in the deep woods"). Before it was a book cover however, it was also the illustration for the Houston Opera's production of The Magic Flute.
My first introduction to Die Zauberflote was via "The Pet of the Met" illustrated by Don Freeman. All of the characters in this book are mice, specifically, the Petrini Family with their three little ones; Doe, Ray and Mee. Among the adventures of the mice living in the opera building, the Petrini's dress up and perform The Magic Flute. Many, *MANY* years went by before I learned more about this opera and was finally disappointed to discover that it was not a story about mice dressing up as birds and dancing wildly in the woods!

Was I the only child duped by Don Freeman???! Bravo, bravo.

Cool Art books: Bill Peet's autobiography, fully illustrated!

Bill Pete's books were some of my favorites growing up. I distinctly remember checking them out of the Old Mission School library, time and time again, once my own copies were well worn. What I love most about his style to this day is that it offers great warmth and great darkness. Perhaps this was learned at Walt Disney, but I'm guessing that it came from more sincere place, his own life. (Chester the Worldly Pig is another version of Peet's autobiography) Now I'm looking forward to having some tea and thumbing through it in my own studio. Houghton Mifflin's brief Bill Peet page