My new favorite cooking site
Posted on 09. Jul, 2010 by kchristieh in art, food
What happens when artists from all over the world showcase their skills to clearly present their favorite recipes? You get “They Draw & Cook: Recipe Renderings by Artists, Illustrators & Designers.” This fabulous blog features mouth-watering recipes depicted in a variety of different artistic styles, but all within a one-frame picture. The recipes range from cake to salmon rillettes to salsa verde, and hail from countries as diverse as Japan to Italy to Poland.
I love seeing how people can take the same assignment and come up with something completely different. I’d love to make all the recipes, but I think I’ll start out with the Tatziky,
the Tilapia,
and the Pan-Fried Fish with Lemon Caper Sauce.
If I had the time, I’d depict my mom’s amazing lasagna recipe. Maybe someday…
My new Easter egg tradition
Posted on 05. Apr, 2010 by kchristieh in art
Many years ago, some friends and I decided to give a fancy send-off to a friend moving back East and each make a dish from a Martha Stewart cookbook. (This was so long ago that she didn’t even have a website yet!) Unfortunately, about half of the things that people made didn’t turn out as expected.
Therefore, I was proud of myself yesterday that when the Easter egg decorating technique that I learned from the Martha Stewart website worked perfectly. I bought some lace at Jo-Ann’s, tied it tightly around hardboiled eggs and wrapped a ribbon around the strands, and dipped them into a mixture of warm water, vinegar and food coloring. Here’s the end result:
I’ll definitely keep this in my repertoire. I think that next time I’ll let them sit in the coloring longer.
If you’re interested, here’s the video that explains how to make them. I think the key is to wrap the lace really tightly.
I’m looking forward to having lots of egg salad this week.
“The Life of Christ” – Painting by Ayres Houghtelling
Posted on 04. Apr, 2010 by kchristieh in art, religion
Jesus fit a lot into the short time he ministered here on Earth, and Ayres Houghtelling did an excellent job of conveying the most important events in one painting, “The Life of Christ”. My grandparents had a print of “The Life of Christ” hanging in their home when I was growing up, and I loved it so much I found my own copy on Ebay a few years ago. I wish that my photo of the print did it more justice, because its incredible details draw you in as your eye follows key events in Christ’s life.
The Life of Christ by Ayres Houghtelling
Houghtelling called this technique of visualizing a series of events on one canvas an “art-told tale”, and it’s the same technique he used for the Alice in Wonderland painting I recently blogged about.
I found the article below from the Dec. 22, 1948 Norwalk (CT) Hour via Google’s impressive archives:
From the Norwalk (CT) Hour, Dec. 22, 1948
It explains that before even starting the painting, Houghtelling spent six months preparing himself mentally and spiritually, studying the New Testament and determining his concept of the characters and the continuity of the scene. The painting was ultimately praised by prominent religious leaders including Francis Cardinal Spellman, Archbishop of New York, who wrote that, “This beautiful picture evidences deep and reverent knowledge of the life and mission of the Saviour and inspires one to prayer and meditation.” Another article in the Google archives, from page 23 of the the , says that the original painting depicts Christ 46 times in a span of 40 ” x 30″. It was scheduled to be displayed at the Museum of Modern Art in New York later that Spring, and was featured in Collier’s magazine the following winter. The article said that his next project was slated to be a pictorial depiction of “Treasure Island.”
After I blogged about “Alice in Wonderland”, I was honored to hear from Houghtelling’s widow, Lydia Houghtelling. She says the following about “The Life of Christ”:
It was his first attempt at painting in an allegorical style and he thought that if he could paint the entire life of Christ in that style, then he could do anything. He spent a year on Marco Island (before it became a settled community), researching and painting it. It was viewed in the Crowell-Colliers Boardroom by Cardinal Francis Spellman who wrote a lovely letter commending the painting…After it was published, Ayres’ agent told him that the painting had perished in a warehouse fire….That was then…years later, when we had met and married, he decided to redo his Life of Christ ….and also painted another beautiful painting, Restaurare Omnia in Christo…representing the Renaissance of Christ.
Mrs. Houghtelling generously sent me some absolutely amazing cameo prints that her husband painted after the original “Alice in Wonderland” painting. I’ll share them with you in a later post.
Have a wonderful Easter, and I hope that you are inspired by this incredible painting.
The whole Alice in Wonderland story in one print
Posted on 03. Mar, 2010 by kchristieh in art
No picture has ever drawn me in like “Alice in Wonderland” by Ayres Houghtelling (b. 1912). Alice is pictured at least 24 times in this 19″ x 25.5″ print as she makes her way through all the major events of the book. My mother inherited the print from her stepmother, and I admired it so much that I purchased one on eBay many years ago. This print was created in 1947, and was the centerfold in Colliers magazine. I love how Alice in Wonderland has inspired such a range of artists and performers, and can’t wait to see the new Alice in Wonderland movie. (Click on the picture below to see a larger version.)
Houghtelling is a man of principle. This from the Ottawa Citizen tells how he snubbed the Italian government by smearing blood on a mural he’d just painted that included a hand “crushing a mass of nude humanity, and a key figure – a helmeted nude of little or no beauty – executing one of those extended arm salutes.” The Italian government threatened to remove the art exhibit if he didn’t “remove Mussolini” from the mural. Houghtelling responded, “I cannot change this mural, which I consider a masterpiece dedicated to an American free press.”
I also found another print by Houghtelling on eBay that depicts the Life of Christ. I’ll blog about that on Easter, so stay tuned.
In case you’re looking for your own copy of these, the words at the bottom say “Art-Told Tales” and “Beck Gravure.”
Evacuation links & resources + a tiny art lesson
Posted on 20. Jan, 2010 by kchristieh in art, local news
Here are more evacuation links and resources, courtesy of Kelly M. at JPL:
Evacuation centers have been set up at La Cañada High School, the Glendale Civic Auditorium and the Sunland Recreation Center.
Website Resources for most current evacuation centers:
- LA County: http://fire.lacounty.gov/default.asp
- Red Cross: http://redcrossla.org/news/redcross-los-angeles-evacuation-centers
Animals:
- Animal Shelter Locations
- Also, the Pasadena Humane Society will be at La Cañada High School to receive and care for evacuated pets.
Helpful Websites and Resources:
- Guide for Flash Flood Preparation
- C.A.R.E. – Coordinated agency Recovery Effort – website includes evacuation areas and safety preparedness
- City of La Canada website
- City of Sierra Madre
Hotels Offering Discount Rates for Individual Evacuated:
Pasadena Courtyard by Marriott (king or double queen rooms)
$99/night
180 N. Fair Oak Avenue, Old Town Pasadena
Ask for the “Weather Evacuation Group Rate”
Burbank Residence Inn by Marriott (all suites with kitchen) $199/Wednesday, or $149/night (Thursday – Saturday)
321 S. First Street, Downtown Burbank
, or
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I’ve always loved Behind the Gare St. Lazare, the Henri Cartier-Bresson photo pictured above. When I studied in France, I purchased an oversized poster of it and actually schlepped it back home with me. Here’s what IconicPhotos says about it:
Gare St. Lazare has been portrayed by many artists (Monet, Manet, et al) but Henri Cartier-Bresson’s 1932 take on the station was totally different. Derrière la gare de Saint-Lazare is not a photo noted for its historicity, but it is a photo that represented the entire life’s works of Cartier-Bresson. Throughout his life, Cartier-Bresson had been a champion of the Decisive Moment, and a seeker of the unexplored–Derrière la gare de Saint-Lazare represents both, and defined his career.
However, Cartier-Bresson didn’t intend this to gain such an iconicity. ”There was a plank fence around some repairs behind the Gare St. Lazare and I was peeking through the space with my camera at my eye. This is what I saw. The space between the planks was not entirely wide enough for my lens, which is the reason the picture is cut off on the left.” Again he proved he was the right man at the right moment
Click to see a LEGO re-creation of the photo on Flickr. :)
From the Norton Simon to hippos
Posted on 05. Dec, 2009 by kchristieh in art, food
My son needed to visit a museum today to complete a report for his high school photography class. He insisted that we visit the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, and two of his friends chose to tag along.
I love the Norton Simon. It has a very high quality collection that reflects a wide array of periods and styles. My son especially enjoyed the “Divine Demons: Wrathful Deities of Buddhist Art” exhibition. What teenage boy wouldn’t? I was very impressed with how thoughtfully each of the boys examined all the art, and they had many good insights. I got a kick out of how they noted that some of the Renaissance paintings reminded them of scenes from video games.
My favorite exhibition was “Gaze: Portraiture after Ingres.” It showcased several centuries of fine portraits in a wide variety of styles. One of my favorites was this caricature that Wolo Trutzschler drew of Galka Sheyer. It captured so much in one drawing, and I think that if I were to see her walking down the street, not only would I recognize her, but I’d have an idea of what makes her tick.
I was intrigued enough to look up Wolo Truzschler when I got home. It turns out his full name was “Baron Wolff Erhardt Anton George Trutzschler von Falkenstein” and he loved living in San Francisco. His son’s website says that he drew the original design for Edgar Bergen’s , was a caricaturist for the San Francisco Chronicle, wrote and illustrated five children’s books, painted murals and gave puppet shows.
I discovered that I’ve appreciated his art before, as he was the artist behind the now-defunct Hippopotamus Hamburgers in San Francisco. I think I first ate at Hippo Hamburgers when I visited California on a high school church handbell tour, and raved about it to my hippo-crazed sister and friend back in NJ. The place was themed so well that the toilets were even open hippo mouths! This place is legendary in our family.
But further Googling found this gem of a Wolo von Truzschler drawing, which accompanied a recipe for the Stanfordburger in the Hippopotamus Hamburgers cookbook. Right-click on the picture and choose “view image” to see a larger version, where you can read the complete recipe. Note that olive on top. That’s supposed to reflect the top of the “Freudian” Hoover Tower.
Maybe I should serve it at my next pre-reunion party…
The Design Studio website is now live
Posted on 01. Jul, 2009 by kchristieh in art, work
I love Jack Johnson’s music. But as great as it is, he’s not in the same class as the Beatles, who composed and performed a wide variety of music.
The Design Studio is The Beatles of interior designers. As you can see on the new website I designed for them, Judy Van Wyk and John Fernandez-Salvador don’t confine themselves to one interior design style. Even within a category, such as libraries or residences, they design in a variety of styles, but all reflect their clients’ needs. They’re also very creative, and I’m impressed by the spectrum of themes, colors and styles they work with.
I enjoyed working with Judy and John. The design process went smoothly, and they had high-quality photographs to highlight their excellent work. I wish I could hire them for a project!
Separated at birth: Spock and Obama
Posted on 17. May, 2009 by kchristieh in art, politics
| When the new Star Trek movie was released last weekend, there was a rash of articles comparing the cool demeanor and brilliant minds of Spock and Barack Obama. The best part of these articles was the morphed pictures. |  |
| Here are my favorites: | |
Here’s the first one I saw, from Maureen Dowd’s article. As she says,
|
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| Princess Sparkle Pony “I STILL keep track of Condoleeza’s hairdo so you don’t have to!” has another great version on her blog. She was ahead of the curve, and blogged about the Spock-Obama connection back on October 17th. Impressive! |  |
| Here’s a great one done in the style of Shepard Fairey. Ironically, it’s on a blog called “Bad Spock Pictures.”My favorite part is the pin on his lapel. |  |
| One of the best Spock-Obama pictures is the caricature that Drew Friedman drew last fall for the New Yorker showing Obama as Spock and McCain as Kirk. Perhaps this summarizes why Obama won. |  |
| Live long and prosper! |  |
One way to maintain that slim figure at a Mexican restaurant
Posted on 23. Apr, 2009 by kchristieh in art, food, health
What is art? I know it when I see it. And these tortilla chips at Los Gringos Locos this evening were diamonds in the rough, blank palettes awaiting their Michelangelo.
Remember: the more chips you repurpose, the less you’ll eat.
Unless you have extra guacamole.
Can you tell what these are? Of course you can!
Take a peep at these awesome dioramas
Posted on 17. Apr, 2009 by kchristieh in art
When my son was younger, he used LEGO figures for every school diorama project. The pinnacle was a LEGO figure as Colin Powell.
We never thought of using marshmallow Peeps, but they’re just as versatile. Here are some of my favorite entries from the recent Washington Post Peeps Show III Diorama Contest:
First, the winner, inspired by Edward Hopper:
This one reminded me of the book I adored when I was in high school. (I’ve been a nerd for a long time…)
And finally, laugh out loud Thelma and Louise:
If I ever have the time, I’d love to enter this contest.
The book of wrecked books that got wrecked
Posted on 16. Apr, 2009 by kchristieh in art, books, local news
I visited the Flintridge Bookstore this evening to purchase Dianne Emley’s most recent book, “.” Thankfully, the car carrier that plowed through the store didn’t wreck these books. I managed to get a signed copy, and I can’t wait to get started on it because I couldn’t put the first two down!
While I was paying for the book, my mom started chatting with the store owner about the accident. After I joined them, he showed us a book called “” that was wrecked by the truck. Ironically, it contains pictures of books that have been wrecked.
In 125 startlingly complex works of many strata, extraordinary textures, luminous colors, and unforeseen juxtapositions, Purcell considers the vulnerability of books to the transforming powers of water, fire, gravity, organisms, and time.
Here’s what the store owner’s book looks like:
I think Rosamond Purcell should include his book in her next edition.
Wayward conversation defiles classic French poster
Posted on 14. Apr, 2009 by kchristieh in art, international, music
I hate it when something I like winds up having a negative connotation. Like a favorite name (Katrina) that becomes associated with a major hurricane, or a date (4/1) that will be remembered for a very sad event.
That happened on a smaller scale this evening. Somehow a conversation wandered to the subject of Michael Jackson, and I joked that we should purchase the gates to Neverland that are being put up for auction. Wouldn’t they look marvelous on our driveway?
But then my son passed through the kitchen, and saw the little framed poster of a French woman gazing fondly upon her daughter as she served hot chocolate to a cat: “Compagnie francaise des chocolats et des thes.”
He wrecked it by noting that the woman looks like Michael Jackson. Doesn’t she? Creepy. I need to take a break from this picture for a long, long time.
Come to think of it, Michael Jackson is guilty of wrecking the name “Neverland” for legions of Peter Pan fans.
You can wear Aretha Franklin’s inauguration hat
Posted on 27. Jan, 2009 by kchristieh in art, politics, shopping
Here’s my public service for the day: graphics which allow you to “virtually” don the marvelous “church hat” that Aretha Frankin wore to Barack Obama’s inauguration.
Just copy the images below, remove the backgrounds, and you’re good to go. I’ll also link to a few other formats that have the backgrounds already removed. I’m including one with a bright pink background, since that’ll be easy to remove the background from.
Interested in buying the real thing? According to the blog To Live and Buy in L.A.,
Orders are pouring into Luke Song’s Detroit-based Mr. Song Millinery, a store the Queen of Soul has patronized for 20 of its 25 years. Though the heather-gray wool hat ain’t cheap — it costs upward of $500 — Hsu writes “fans are welcome to drop $179 on a similar satin-ribbon version.”
The following two are jpgs:
Here it is in a PNG and TIFF format.
Spell a name or a word with photo art
Posted on 21. Jan, 2009 by kchristieh in art, politics, shopping
Check out Krista’s Creations. You can choose which photograph you want to represent any letter you choose, and spell out a name or a word. Then, you can customize the shading and the background, and pay to have them print it out for you.
Here’s what I chose for today:
The inauguration tchochke I crave the most
Posted on 10. Jan, 2009 by kchristieh in art, inspirational people, my life, politics, shopping
Imagine my delight when I received this invitation in today’s mail:
Of course, my skepto-radar starting beeping wildly. After all, it’s only 10 days before the inauguration, and I didn’t think they’d expect me to get plane tickets and a hotel room at this point. However, I do have an awesome dress, but I’m saving that for Gala. Anyway, I was right: the accompanying literature explained that this was just a “commemorative invitation” that invites my “prescence at any of the public events in what will be the most open and accessible Inauguration in American history.” And then it tried to sell me stuff.
Here’s what I wish they were selling: the Inauguration edition of Marvel’s The Amazing Spiderman #583 comic book. Obama liked Spiderman comic books as a lad, so this must be pretty cool for him to be featured in one. Read more about it here.
It goes on sale on Wed., Jan. 14th. I used the Comic Shop Locator to find the comic book store closest to me, and you bet I’ll be calling them.
If I were in a comic, I’d want to be in Pearls Before Swine. I’d be Pig’s best friend. We’re quite simpatico.
You can still make Polaroid pictures
Posted on 09. Jan, 2009 by kchristieh in art
Do you already miss Polaroids? Never fear! Poladroid has come to the rescue! Download the free (but donations are welcome) program onto your PC or Mac and make authentic looking Polaroid-esque photos. It’s REALLY easy on the Mac: you just drag the picture you want Polaroidized onto the camera icon.
Here are a few of my new “vintage” photos. I think they’re cool. My 17-year-old daughter agrees, but my 15-year-old son wasn’t too impressed. I don’t think he remembers the real Polaroids very much. I like how even the colors look authentic.
These would REALLY look real if I put writing at the bottom of them…
PS: If you truly miss instant prints, check out :
The Polaroid PoGo Instant Digital Camera uses Zink ink-free printing technology to produce instant prints on a special paper embedded with heat-activated dye crystals.
“With the push of a button, consumers can select from among the digital photos on the camera, crop or edit them and in less than 60 seconds, print full-color, 2×3-inch prints,” Polaroid said.
Photos can be reviewed on a three-inch color LCD screen before printing.
What would you do with these colorful CDs?
Posted on 25. Nov, 2008 by kchristieh in art, technical
Back in the old days, before iStockPhoto, I spend oodles of money on CDs full of clip art. It seemed amazing at the time, but it’s so much quicker to find inexpensive stock photos and clip art on the internet that I haven’t used my clip art CDs in years.
Here are some CDs I found lying around my office. They’re so colorful that I didn’t want to toss them, yet I don’t know what to do with them. All I could think of was to hang them from our orange tree at Christmas time, but I think the oranges are prettier. I could make ornaments out of them, but my kids would react with horror if I compromised our tree’s gorgeous blue and silver theme.
If you want these, please let me know. The best idea in the comments wins. You can either pick them up here or I’ll drop them off at your house. Local deliveries only.
The perfect art for a California office
Posted on 07. Nov, 2008 by kchristieh in art
I was thrilled yesterday when we received an announcement from Scott Moore about two new lithographs he’d be offering. We had purchased his “California Highways” lithograph for my husband’s office awhile back, and everyone loves it. Now that the office has expanded, there’s more wall space to fill, so we’re on the prowl for more art.
Scott’s two newest pieces, “The California Desert” and “Rocket Inn” fit in perfectly with the vague “Route 66″ theme of some of the other pieces in the office. Besides “California Highways,” my husband also has Nelson De La Nuez’ “Route 66″ canvas work in his office. The Route 66 theme works because the office is on Colorado Blvd. in Pasadena, which is part of the old Route 66. Of course, not everything in the office has this theme. When my husband started his practice, we purchased some framed posters, several of which were of Ansel Adams’ work. That’s been supplemented by several of Ron Dietel’s exquisite black and white photographs of local nature scenes.
I highly recommend that you check out Scott’s website. Besides beautiful, reasonably-priced art, there’s a great section which explains how he created several of his pieces. After viewing his site, we also decided to purchase “America’s Railways.”
I can’t wait to receive the lithographs and get them framed! Too bad I won’t see them every day. I guess this means I need to visit my husband’s office more. :)
Two great posters: United / Change & In this country
Posted on 29. Oct, 2008 by kchristieh in art, politics
I was going to stay apolitical for awhile, but these two posters are too beautiful not to share. At I Love Typography, we see United / Change:
And from Font Feed’s Artists for Obama posting, there’s “For as long as I live, I will never forget that in no other country on earth is my story even possible.”
Click on the links above to see more cool posters. Typography is amazing when used effectively.
Who needs a time machine when you have Photoshop?
Posted on 18. Aug, 2008 by kchristieh in art, cool websites, history, my life
When my sister’s mother-in-law died five years ago, my sister assembled a slide show to show at her funeral. She scanned lots of old pictures, but one was problematic: it showed the unwelcome ex-husband of one of the relatives.
I was called in to help. I used either Photoshop or Fireworks to eliminate the man from the picture. It wasn’t a completely professional job, but it did the trick for a fast-moving slide show.
I did the opposite this year when I pasted a few girls into a team picture that they’d missed earlier in the season. We wanted to show the whole team for a schedule poster we distributed to local merchants.
Apparently I’m not the only one who does this. Yesterday’s NY Times article, “I Was There. Just Ask Photoshop.” notes that not only do people delete others from photos, but they create events that never happened by pasting people into photos.
After her father died several years ago, Theresa Newman Rolley, an accountant in Williamsport, Pa., hired Wayne Palmer, a photographic retoucher, to create a composite portrait of the two of them because she had no actual one of them together.
That photograph — of a moment that never happened — now hangs in her living room. It still brings tears to her eyes, she said.
“It’s the only picture of my dad and me together,†Ms. Rolley said, adding, “If the only reason I can get one is cropping it in, it still means the same to me.â€
I read a story once about someone who does this for the families of soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. It gives them a lasting way to remember their loved one.
On a sillier note, you can do this to your own picture via Yearbook Yourself. Just upload a picture and see how you’d look in yearbooks every two years from 1950 – 2000.
My favorite is 1960. I think I look like my mom. (Hey, Mom, are you reading this??)
Wish Tree for Pasadena allows you to dream of a better world
Posted on 16. Aug, 2008 by kchristieh in art, local news
What’s a wish? A dream? A prayer? A hope? I saw all of those on the pieces of paper tied to the 21 small trees that comprise the Wish Tree for Pasadena project. People who visit can write their wishes on pieces of paper and tie them to branches, and can also see other peoples’ wishes.
The wishes ranged from “I wish for a fish” to “I wish that my children would live long healthy lives” to “I wish for world peace.” I was particularly moved by “I wish Grandma could remember” and “I wish there was a cure for autism” and “I hope that my mother become healthy.” The last one brought me to tears, as it was “signed” by a 2-year-old.
I made about six wishes. Several were for the health and continued safety of friends and relatives, and two were more global in scope. I know that putting a piece of paper on a tree won’t make something come true, but I think that by doing so I concentrated on doing what I can to make that wish to come true and I made a point of praying and continuing to pray for each one.
Interestingly, although I saw many from people that wished that Obama would become President, none mentioned McCain. I suppose that’s consistent with Obama’s declaration that he’s the candidate of hope.
Here’s how the Wish Tree website describes the project:
Wish Tree for Pasadena is an art installation that consists of 21 living crape myrtle trees installed amongst the café tables and chairs in the Courtyard of One Colorado. Visitors are invited to write their wishes on pieces of paper and hang them on the tree branches. Yoko Ono’s Wish Tree for Pasadena is free and open to the public.
Wishes from Wish Tree for Pasadena will be joined with others from all over the world and placed in specially constructed capsules to be installed in the area surrounding Yoko Ono’s Imagine Peace Tower on Videy Island, off the coast of ReykjavÃk, Iceland.
The Wish Trees will be displayed until November 9th. Check them out and be inspired!
Pasadena Chalk Festival highlights
Posted on 15. Jun, 2008 by kchristieh in art, local news, my life
No Father’s Day is complete without a visit to the annual Pasadena Chalk Festival. I’d thought we were going to miss it, but then my husband chose to go to Paseo Colorado for his Father’s Day dinner. Here are a few highlights:
Of course we liked the drawing of Barack Obama.
No chalk festival is complete without a Diego Rivera. I bet Rivera would have loved this festival.
It’s no wonder people love peacocks so much: they’re beautiful! Too bad they’re so loud and have such prolific excretory tracts. Also, it’s only the peacocks that are so pretty, not the peahens.
I really liked this one. It works well in chalk.
This one reminds me of Penelope Cruz in Volver. We saw it the other night, and loved it. We loved the strange, fantastic storyline, and Penelope Cruz is amazing in her native language. The Spanish in this movie was much faster than it was in Pan’s Labyrinth. Thank goodness for the subtitles. Of course, it would also help if I spoke Spanish instead of French.
After we left dinner at Islands, my daughter said she’d probably be pretty happy and relaxed living in Hawaii. I would too. It’s just too bad it’s so far from my relatives. I wish I lived on a beach like this one. Sometime I’ll need to visit Patti and Sheree!!
My daughter loved this one. If she had blue eyes, she’d kind of look like this. Except, I don’t think she could look so mean without laughing.
Here’s why we rushed out of the chalk festival. My husband was pretty antsy to get home and watch the Laker game. The Lakers just won, so I guess it was worth it.
Circus elephants stuffed into truck
Posted on 27. Apr, 2008 by kchristieh in animals, art, books, my life, things that bug me
Who cares how many clowns you can stuff in a car when you can stuff elephants in a truck?
This picture was taken by esteemed photographer Jill Freedman, and a slide show of her amazing work can be found on the NY Times website.
Note the name of the circus on the truck: Clyde Beatty. This picture was taken in 1971. In June, 1973, that same circus set up camp on the Roosevelt Common field next to the high school in Tenafly, NJ. I was 10 at the time, and attended it with my family.
What I remember most is that an elephant stepped on a trainer and killed him. Thankfully, I didn’t see it happen. But now I understand better why one of those elephants might be angry enough to do that.
What a tragedy. People shouldn’t treat animals this way.
I actually found an article about the incident in the NY Times archives. Here’s an excerpt,
Circus Helper Crushed to Death By Elephant He Was Handling
TENAFLY, June 4 – A 45-year-old circus laborer was picked up and thrown to the ground twice yesterday before being crushed to death by an elephant he was handling after a performance on Roosevelt Common.
The laborer, Alvin Kelly of Dallas, was helping to water a group of 13 elephants following the afternoon performance of the Clyde Beatty Circus.
…
“We have reports that Kelly had been drinking heavily earlier in the day and that might have had something to do with the elephant’s actions,” the spokesman said. “He also was carrying a big stick, which he may have poked the elephant with at the wrong time.”
The elephant, the police spokesman said, is now with the circus in New City, N.Y., where it had a performance today. “The elephant is a problem for the circus to take care of, not the police,” the spokesman continued.
About 10 years ago, I took my kids to see the Clyde Beatty – Cole Brothers circus perform in the parking lot of the Freehold, NJ mall. One of the guys in the motorcycle/hamster wheel act lost his timing, and almost fell. The act stopped abruptly. I wonder if small circuses take more risks than bigger ones, to get more attention. I felt that as a paying customer, I was complicit in encouraging them to take potentially life-threatening risks.
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PS – If you haven’t already read , I highly recommend it. It’s about life in an old-time circus.
The web of bureaucracy?
Posted on 13. Apr, 2008 by kchristieh in art, politics
I just returned from visiting my mother and stepfather in Escondido. We visited Grand Ave. on Friday night to see the classic cars cruise the boulevard. It made me appreciate California’s modern emission standards!
Here’s a picture I took from beneath the dome of the Escondido Civic Center. That’s the moon in the middle:
I was pretty pleased with how well my Canon Powershot SD800 point-and-shoot camera performed in the dark. I put it on the manual setting and overexposed it. I took a few in case my hand shook.
I think this looks like glow-in-the-dark lace.
Patricia O’Neil made me a beautiful house tile
Posted on 23. Mar, 2008 by kchristieh in art, my life, work
One of the best things about being a website designer is that I get to meet lots of great new people and learn about their businesses. One of my clients, Patricia O’Neil, is an artist in Laguna Beach. She makes exquisite porcelain Santas and gorgeous handmade house tiles. She recently needed some updates on her website, so we struck a deal that instead of paying me, she’d make me a house tile.
Here’s what she delivered to me today:
The photo doesn’t nearly do it justice. The colors are more vivid in real life, and it’s three-dimensional. The trees, the fence, and the porch are all further forward than the house itself. It’s 14″ x 9.5″, and it’s absolutely gorgeous. It usually takes me awhile to hang new artwork, but I put this up immediately. I chose to put it in our kitchen, so that if there’s an earthquake and it falls down, it’ll only go as far as the counter and hopefully won’t break.
This would be a perfect housewarming gift or going-away gift for someone. Our old house had a very nice watercolor painting that someone had made of it, but it was big and had been left there by several previous owners, so we left it behind too. I plan on keeping this tile with me wherever I move, however.
Design your own kaleidoscope picture
Posted on 18. Mar, 2008 by kchristieh in art, cool websites, my life
Here’s a cool site I Stumbled upon recently: Kaleidosketch. Whatever you draw in one section is repeated in the other sections. You can choose different colors, or go with a more random rainbow option. My latest sketch is featured to the right. I think it would actually make a nice kitchen tile.
This definitely appeals to my compulsive side. I crave order, and detest chaos. Had you noticed?
Maybe I should paint my house these colors
Posted on 07. Feb, 2008 by kchristieh in art, travel
My house is yellow, but it’s not this bright and it doesn’t have purple trim. We had a color consultant help us choose the color for our house, and purple wasn’t in the palette she suggested.
I couldn’t resist purchasing this birthday card from Trader Joe’s. The street it featured looks so cheerful and colorful I think you’d have to be happy just being there. I tracked down the name of the Rock View Bed & Breakfast in the photo, and I think it’s in Kinsale, County Cork, Ireland. Maybe I’ll visit there someday, to see if my happiness theory proves correct.
Perhaps the buildings across the street are all drab and ugly. If so, the best place to stay would be across the street, so this would be your view:
Artsy Russian umbrellas
Posted on 29. Jan, 2008 by kchristieh in art, shopping
The next time it rains, it’d be cool to have this umbrella designed by Evgeny Kiselev from wisli.org:
Here are more patterns:
Too bad it’s a Russian website. I wonder if they ship to California? It costs 3500 rub, which equals $142. Ouch! It doesn’t rain here nearly enough to justify that. I’ll stick to my Monet umbrella.
Create your own Jackson Pollock-like painting
Posted on 28. Jan, 2008 by kchristieh in art
I hate chaos. I either flee it or try to eradicate it. Therefore, it’s not surprising that the quick “painting” that I made at JacksonPollock.org is more orderly than most of Pollock’s paintings.
I once read a little story about a kindergarten teacher whose students consistently produced beautiful works of art. When someone asked her what her secret was, she said she knew when to take the crayons away from them. I tried to heed that advice in the above “painting.”
The oldest thing I own: photo book published in 1892
Posted on 20. Jan, 2008 by kchristieh in art, books, history, international
Many years ago, my grandfather asked me whether there was anything of his that I’d like when he dies. I told him I’d love to have some photographs, and would be happy to scan them for everyone else. He laughed and said I’m just like my mother.
Perhaps that’s why, despite moving nearly twenty times in my life, I’ve somehow managed to hang on to “Glimpses of the World: My Portfolio of Photographs, Prepared Under the Supervision of John L. Stoddard.” It was published in 1892, and my copy says “Lizzie J. Brown, 1894″ on the cover page. To the best of my knowledge, it’s the oldest thing that I own. What a testimony to the fleeting nature of possessions.
This 549-page book is entrancing. It has photos from all over the world, and under each one there’s a paragraph describing the picture. The explanations are just as fascinating as the photos, as they reflect the author’s perspective and biases.
This book is pretty big – 11.5″ x 14″ – so it was hard to scan without breaking the binding. Here are a few of the most fascinating pictures and descriptions from the book. If you click on them, you’ll see larger versions and be able to read the text.
Here’s the “Royal Palace, Honolulu, Sandwich Islands.” The caption talks about how much progress has been made in the islands since Honolulu harbor was “discovered less than a hundred years ago.” The picture includes King Kalakua, his wife, his daughter, and Col. Judd, his Secretary of State. At the time, Honolulu had a population of 14,000.
Here’s a picture taken in San Francisco’s Chinatown. According to Stoddard, “a trip to Chinatown” was “an essential feature of a visit to the Pacific coast.” Click on the picture to see the caption. It’s completely politically incorrect for our times.
Here are some straw cottages in Salamanca, Mexico. The author was more sympathetic towards these Mexican villagers, though his analysis again errs on the side of political incorrectness. “These Indians are said to be generally happy and contented, but it is hard to believe it in view of their condition. Many of them certainly have a hopeless and even timid look, like that of a well-meaning dog that had been beaten and abused.”
No photo book would be complete without some Yosemite pictures, and Stoddard obliges. It’s mind-boggling to think that these pictures were taken before Ansel Adams was even born! Here’s a horse drawn carriage driving through a tree in Mariposa Grove. I think I’ve seen postcards with cars doing the same thing.
I think this book was pretty popular in its time. My freshman roommate had one at her house, and there are some available for sale on the internet. It’s no wonder people have kept them: it’s a window into another time and many other places.
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