The Dingle Races, Co. Kerry, Ireland

This past weekend saw the annual Dingle horse races in Ireland. A few dozen races over three days with the largest purse being 6000 euros. Most of the jockeys are kids that look to be around thirteen to fifteen years old. It's not hard to get right in the thick of it...stand at the rail and be showered by the dirt clods thrown up by hooves as the horses thunder by. For the first time this year the bookies are using electronic betting boards instead of the usual chalkboard method.

bookie alley behind the rail....

The grandstand and the stragglers at the end of the Dingle Derby "grand finale" race. The spectators were already spilling onto the track as the winners crossed the line.

p.s. blogger has been hugely problematic lately. I can't get my pics to post at their full resolution (among other things). I apologize.

Beautiful and useful...

A perfect product just got better for me....zebra duck tape.

A William Morris berry

My son took me on a sweet and challenging hike along a rocky ridge in the rolling Pennsylvania hills. A wild berry patch reminded me of this Bradbury & Bradbury "Morris Tradition" wallpaper.

Down and dirty, artist Robert Burden

Yup, why clean your car when rogue artist Robert Burden can turn your dirty wheels into a work of art!? You can see more of his work here. Robert, we could use you in New York City!

Vignettes of Bern, Switzerland

The milky teal River Aar...the color typical of the glacial mountain streams....

A painted stone arch...looks perfect....

A painted shutter reminds me of Red House....

There are tons of street fountains in Bern but what the heck is this???

How many cities have their own bear pit?

I'll hold your shutter....

A simple window box of rosemary....I'm inspired...

Europe always does the plain green plant in the pot so well....

The Swiss and their amazing clocks....

The Bellevue Palace Hotel

May Morris would approve...

Jillian Tamaki, embroiderer extraordinaire, has been commissioned to embroider the cover designs for three Penguin Classics. Yummy! They will be available in bookstores in October.

the artist at work...

The harder I work, the luckier I get.

A great quote from Samuel Goldwyn.  Well this lucky girl is within days of empty-nesting it to the upper west side of Manhattan.  I am excited.  The movers come on Monday.  You might appreciate, perhaps knowing me a bit by now, that the thought of endless museums and galleries in NYC (combined with my dream science job) has led to a near permanent smile on my face lately.  I'll be a voyeur, looking in on the super-cool hip artistes, like young Charlotte Young, soaking it all in.  Click to view her artist's statement.  Brilliant!  :-)

John Singer Sargent, 1856-1925

Nonchaloir (Repose), 1911
oil on canvas, 25 1/8 x 30 inches (64 x 76 cm.)

National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

photograph Michael Weinberg Photography 

During a few hours before a meeting today I ducked into the National Gallery of Art in Washington D. C..  Standing in front of this painting I was reminded of how much I liked the work of John Singer Sargent.  The satin of her clothing, painted in whites and yellows, practically shimmered on the wall in front of me.  Click to really get the picture.  The model was his niece.

Tax the Rich, David Mabb

 

 Go see new work by our favorite William Morris inspired artist.  

Wednesday, 29th June, 10-7pm

Refreshments 12-2pm

Flowers Galleries, 21 Cork St, London 

Wish I could be there!

Why we travel....

 Butterflies and poppies, 1889

 Roses, 1890

 Emperor moth, 1889

 Blossoming almond tree, 1890

 

The Bridge in the Rain (after Hiroshige), 1887

Are you reminded of anyone?  A famous painter perhaps?  One we have paid homage to before on this blog?  Amsterdam is the home of the Van Gogh Museum, caretaker to many of this famous artist's paintings and sketches.  I'm sure there are readers of this blog who know far more about Van Gogh than myself but, when confronted with the entire oeuvre of this mad genius, I was moved by a side of him I had never seen before, namely paintings influenced by his fascination with Japanese art and culture.

Van Gogh never traveled in the East (unlike his pal Gauguin who eventually made it all the way to the western Pacific) but he was inspired by the beauty and simplicity of the Japanese aesthetic and incorporated those influences in obvious ways in his paintings over a short period in the late 1880s.  Looking at these paintings I reflected on how this blog, a continuing mish-mash of travel and art, is propelled by that same spirit of finding inspiration in the unbelievably diverse cultures of our world. 

Where in the World?

tulips & cannabis....

 ....more bicycles than you can imagine possible in one place...

Very distinctive architecture that, minus the bright tropical colors (below), looks suspiciously similar to that which I saw last week in Willemstad, the capital of Curacao....hmmmm.   If you've guessed where I am you also know that a pretty amazing museum is nearby....stayed tuned....

Kuna Leg Beading....

Two posts today....I never got a good picture of the Kuna women leg beading but it is so amazing I downloaded this pic from the internet.  The patterns are incredible especially when you realize it is made by wrapping one long string of bead around and around your leg, with one line of stitches holding the whole thing together (you can see the stitch on her left leg).

More on Molas....

Mola are the iconic craft of Panama, made by the Kuna Indian women as part of their traditional dress.  An authentic mola takes two weeks to six months to make and starts its life as part of a paired set that make the front and back panel of a dress top.  They originated in the 19th century as fabrics became more widely available from colonizers and they are inspired by the traditional body painting of the Kuna.  Mola are constructed with a reverse applique technique and one of the criteria by which the quality and value of a mola is judged is how many cut-away layers were used in the construction.  Other qualities to look for include: originally used as a dress, not just made for tourists; fineness of stitches and evenness and width of cutouts; complexity of embroidery and stitched designs; and overall artistry of color and design.

I found a wonderful shop in the Casco Viejo section of Panama that sold antique mola that had already been made into pillows.  I am on the road again and left the shop info at home but will add the specific details here at a later date (it was around the corner from the renowned ice cream shop). 

  (all click to enlarge)