Month: December 2010

The Legion of Honor: “Japanesque”—So Picturesque!

Written by diana on December 28, 2010. Posted in Art. 1 Comment on The Legion of Honor: “Japanesque”—So Picturesque!

Before Xmas my husband and I saw an unbelievable art exhibit, “Japanesque”, at the Legion of Honor in San Francisco (see flyer below). It is such a beautifully organized exhibit of Japanese ukiyoe woodblock prints, from the Legion’s own Achenbach collection. I hadn’t seen such an exquisite collection in one place since a similarly conceived show at the Marmottan Monet’s Academie des Beaux Arts (www.marmottan.com) in Paris about four years ago (Les Estampes Japonaises De Claude Monet, February 2007). The organizing and conceptual strength of the exhibit–“Japanesque: The Japanese Print...

Carmel Rancho Art and Framing Center—Frame Your Memories!

Written by diana on December 19, 2010. Posted in Art, MPC Print Club. 2 Comments on Carmel Rancho Art and Framing Center—Frame Your Memories!

Gift giving is an art form, as we all know! And so is framing, which may not be so obvious. But have you ever looked at a framed piece and said that the frame was spectacular…or totally wrong…or even made the art or photo look a little sad or tired? If you have a favorite original artwork, photo, scrap of fabric from a vacation or special event, children’s achievement award or badge, or a photo you want to preserve and exhibit in your home or give to a friend, the Carmel Rancho Art and Framing Center is much more than your standard framing shop. The owner, Gayle Saia, has an expert eye...

“127 Hours”: The Instinct to Survive and the Will to Live

Written by diana on December 14, 2010. Posted in movie reviews. No Comments on “127 Hours”: The Instinct to Survive and the Will to Live

My husband and I just saw the movie that brings to the screen the harrowing tale of 23 year old mountain climber Aron Ralston, who literally cuts himself loose from a boulder in a slot canyon in Blue John, a remote area of the Moab desert in Utah, the state with the most slot canyons in the world. (A slot canyon is a narrow and extremely steep canyon, formed by rushing water carving through rock.) To stay alive, Ralston resorts to his keenest survival instincts honed from rescue training in outdoor’s extreme conditions. Based on Ralston’s autobiography, Between a Rock and a Hard Place,...

“Wine Shop At Home”—The Art of Wine “Gifting”

Written by diana on December 10, 2010. Posted in Unhealed Wound. No Comments on “Wine Shop At Home”—The Art of Wine “Gifting”

It’s that time of year again, when all of us curmudgeonly folks have to think about that tired old ritual of gift giving. Each year I try to figure out what to give—a thoughtful gift which will be enjoyed, something original or unexpected. But, I think I am the world’s worst gift-giver. I love any gift given to me, and I have very idiosyncratic taste so the conventional advice to give what you yourself would most like as a gift usually doesn’t work for me. Last year I discovered the online wine merchant, WineShop At Home, because our daughter, Maya, is so passionate about wine and loves...

“Ascent Aspirations: Up, Up and Away!”

Written by diana on December 4, 2010. Posted in Unhealed Wound. No Comments on “Ascent Aspirations: Up, Up and Away!”

I recently discovered a gem: an online art and literary journal, entitled Ascent Aspirations (www.ascentaspirations.com), based in British Columbia. (It is also published semi-annually in print media—“hard copy”.) I love the fact that Ascent Aspirations’ mission is to give aspiring writers, poets, and artists a chance to present their work online. All of us writers, artists, lovers of art and fiction, know that the world of art and literature is rapidly shrinking in “hard copy” format and is transitioning to a digital one. Ascent Aspirations aims to do just that—ascend from analog to digital—for...