The Artist and Her Family on a Fourth of July Picnic

   This painting by Lilly Martin Spencer can be seen at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C.  It was painted around the year 1864 and depicts a scene of relaxation, frivolity, and enjoyment,

as friends and family gather to celebrate Independence Day.
   At the center of the picture is the artist's husband, Benjamin.  Apparently his weight has been too much for the tree swing and he lies on the ground.  The artist depicts herself with arms outstretched going to his aid.  A child is trying to help him.
   There are at least two people in this painting who appear to be African-American. While one of them is serving a refreshment of some sort, the other appears to be enjoying the day's festivities.  The painting is oil on canvas and measures 49 1/2"  x 63."

Poem in Your Pocket Day

April is National Poetry Month and April 18th is Poem in Your Pocket Day.  It's a day for sharing poems that you like.  Pick out a poem and carry it with you to share with friends, family, and co-workers.

Here's my pick for 2013.

 

DESIGN

I found a dimpled spider, fat and white,

On a white heal-all, holding up a moth

Like a white piece of rigid satin cloth--

Assorted characters of death and blight,

Mixed ready to begin the morning right,

Like the ingredients of a witch's broth--

A snow-drop spider, a flower like a froth 

And dead wings carried like a paper kite.

What had that flower to do with being white,

The wayside blue and innocent heal-all?

What brought the kindred spider to that height,

Then steered the white moth thither in the night?

What but design of darkness to appall?--

If design govern in a thing so small?

Robert Frost  (1874 - 1963)

An American Silversmith

Paul Revere was the third child of Apollos Rivoire and Deborah Hitchborn.  The French-born and Huguenot Rivoire anglicized the family name to Revere.  His son Paul apprenticed in his father's silver shop at an early age.

Today Paul Revere is most widely remembered for his famous midnight ride (which we commemorate tomorrow) warning the American colonists of advancing British troops before the battles of Lexington and Concord.  The lines of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem commemorating that event contain numerous inaccuracies but nevertheless paint a memorable picture.   Here are stanzas 1 and 2 from "Tales of a Wayside Inn,  The Landlord's Tale: Paul Revere's Ride"

"Listen my children, and you shall hear,
 Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere,
 On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five;
 Hardly a man is now alive
 Who remembers that famous day and year.

 One if by land, and two if by sea;
 And I on the opposite shore will be,
 Ready to ride and spread the alarm
 Through every Middlesex village and farm."

Paul Revere went on to serve other roles in the American Revolution.  He served in the Massachusetts militia's ill-fated Penobscot Expedition of 1779.

After the war he expanded his metalworking interests to include cast iron and the use of rolling mills in the production of sheets of copper.   His firm went on to produce church bells and cannons.   Revere remained politically active throughout his life and died on May 10, 1818.

John Singleton Copley (1738 - 1815) painted a portrait of Paul Revere in 1770.  Copley often painted individuals with an artifact that was associated with the subject's life and here Paul Revere is shown holding a teapot.  Tea was a hot-button issue for the American colonists at the time this portrait was painted and Revere seems to be seriously contemplating the importance of the work of his hands.

Perfect Placement

On returning to the New York Botanic Garden I was able to see all of the monumental outdoor sculptures of Manolo Valdés. These enormous sculptures of female heads portray an understanding of gardens and vegetal growth in ways that are beautiful and playful. One sculpture in particular seems to be perfectly integrated into its surrounding landscape - reflecting the spreading, branching trees that frame it. "Fiore" is 17 feet high and its headdress incorporates the forms of oak and maple leaves. This bronze and steel work provides an agreeable color contrast to the lofty trees and greening lawn and creates a splendid vista.

Adonis Flower

Even though the temperature was only 33 degrees Fahrenheit yesterday morning, this yellow-flowering early spring perennial has been in blossom for some time now. There are numerous plants named 'adonis' and they bring to mind the Greek myth of the beautiful youth who was killed by a boar. Flowers sprang from he spot where his blood touched the earth. The flowers of myth are red but many yellow flowers celebrate a return to life each spring.

Lilly Martin Spencer

Lilly Martin Spencer was born in England to French parents in 1822. The family immigrated to New York in 1830. Lilly began painting at an early age and was encouraged to do so by her parents who recognized her abilities. She spent many years living and working in Ohio. In her marriage she was the main breadwinner and her work achieved national recognition. She and her husband raised seven children and she was painting right up until her death in 1902 in Highland, New York.

Still Life with Berries and Currants (1859 - 1860)

For Groundhog Day - a tangelo

February 2nd is celebrated as Groundhog Day in various parts of the United States. It marks that point in the calendar when we are halfway between winter solstice and the vernal equinox. Whether or not the groundhog sees its shadow today is imagined to be an indicator of the remaining length of winter weather.

I was thinking of light and shadow - and the color wheel and theory of complementary colors this morning. Working with blue paper I realized it really is the perfect complement to the color of the tangelo I was about to eat. When I placed the tangelo on the paper it cast a shadow. Now, I know the tangelo probably doesn't see its own shadow but does this mean we're in for six more weeks of winter?