Grand Canyon National Park established

 

Fabric art by Sandra Mollen Derived from a John Slot photo.  Toroweap Overlook.  36 wide by 48 high, before quilting.

February 26, 2025

President Woodrow Wilson established the Grand Canyon National Park on this date in 1919, after a 30 year opposition from ranchers, miners, and entrepreneurs. Today, the Grand Canyon National Park covers more than 1,900 square miles; the canyon itself is 277 river miles long, 10 miles wide, and a mile deep. The park receives 5 million visitors every year.

In 1903, upon seeing the canyon for the first time, Theodore Roosevelt said: "The Grand Canyon fills me with awe. It is beyond comparison — beyond description; absolutely unparalleled throughout the wide world. ... Let this great wonder of nature remain as it now is. Do nothing to mar its grandeur, sublimity, and loveliness. You cannot improve on it. But what you can do is to keep it for your children, your children's children, and all who come after you, as the one great sight which every American should see.

Faith Ringgold

 

 Faith Ringgold (October 8, 1930 – April 13, 2024) was a Black American painter, author, mixed media sculptor, performance artist, and intersectional activist, perhaps best known for her narrative quilts.

Ringgold's artistic practice was extremely varied—from painting to quilts, from sculptures and performance art to children's books.

As an educator, she taught in both the New York City Public school system and at college level. In 1973, she quit teaching public school to devote herself to creating art full-time. In 1995, she was approached by ACA Galleries for exclusive representation and was represented by them for the rest of her life.

Wikipedia gives us this:

Faith Ringgold (born Faith Willi Jones; October 8, 1930 – April 13, 2024) was an American painter, author, mixed media sculptor, performance artist, and intersectional activist, perhaps best known for her narrative quilts.

Ringgold was born in Harlem, New York City, and earned her bachelor's and master's degrees from the City College of New York. She was an art teacher in the New York City public school system. As a multimedia artist, her works explored themes of family, race, class, and gender. Her series of story quilts, designed from the 1980s on, captured the experiences of Black Americans and became her signature art form. During her career, she promoted the work of Black artists and rallied against their marginalization by the art museums. She wrote and illustrated over a dozen children's books. Ringgold's art has been exhibited throughout the world and is in the permanent collections of The Guggenheim, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Arts and Design, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.

Ringgold received over 80 awards and honors and 23 honorary doctorates.^[53] She was interviewed for the 2010 film !Women Art Revolution.

Ringgold resided with her second husband Burdette "Birdie" Ringgold, whom she married in 1962, in a home in Englewood, New Jersey, where she lived and maintained a steady studio practice from 1992. Burdette died on February 1, 2020.

Ringgold died at her home in Englewood, New Jersey, on April 13, 2024, at age 93.

Who's Afraid of Aunt Jemima! Painting with fabric. Focus is on a real Jemima, as opposed to the commercially fabricated one to sell pancake syrup.

Just one quote

 Meryl Streep said:

"Aging is not for the weak. One day you wake up and realize that your youth is gone, but along with it, so go insecurity, haste, and the need to please... You learn to walk more slowly, but with greater certainty. You say goodbye without fear, and you cherish those who stay. Aging means letting go, it means accepting, it means discovering that beauty was never in our skin... but in the story we carry inside us."

Shirley Gromen

 Shirley Gromen

Shirley Gromen's superb porcelain extoles the virtues of the mighty Chesapeake Bay and all the splendorous inhabitants found in and near its waters. With precise workwomanship, she wheel throws or hand builds graceful forms and decorates them lavishly with incredibly beautiful sgraffito and slip trailing, creating visually stunning illustrated, textural surfaces that the hands love to explore. Focusing an adoring lens on small creatures from sandpipers and kingfishers to blowfish and striped bass, Shirley highlights the diversity of the Chesapeake's varied habitats. In a distinctive black-and-white with occasional pops of color, her pots make use of graphic forms and visual space, making this work stand out across a room. Shirley's work is prominently featured in our own collection, and we can't say enough about how much we love her pottery's beauty, its function, and the conversation it kindles amongst guests.

Shirley Gromen received her BFA from Maryland Institute College of Art and her MFA in Ceramics from The Ohio State University. She worked many years as a graphic designer before returning to the clay studio in 2015. She is a member of the Ceramic Guild and the Kiln Club, cooperative ceramic groups in the Washington, DC metro area and has shown as Scope Gallery, their shared gallery space at the Torpedo Factory Art Center in Alexandria, VA, since 2015. Her work has been selected for inclusion in numerous juried competitions and craft shows.

Artist Statement

My work serves as a portal into the ever-chaging natural world of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Through sgraffito, I interpret the region's diverse bird, fish, insect, and plant species on both functional and sculptural ceramic forms. By bringing these intricate ecosystems to the surface, I hope to inspire awareness and appreciation for the interdependent life that surrounds us.

My influences are noted in both the personal history and direct experiences with nature. I think of my grandmother's Limoges china, carried from Europe in 1914, and my mother's Imari plates from Japan, which adorned our dining room walls. Fishing trips with my father and bird watching with my husband inform my subject matter, while ongoing explorations in my craft continue to shape my artistic voice.

Each piece begins with a hand-built or wheel-thrown porcelain form. I spray black underglaze onto the leather-hard surface and use sgraffito to carve away the slip, reveealing the white porcelain beneath. Slip-trailing adds further texture and dimension. After bisque firing, a liner glaze completes the piece before it is fired to 2,200°F in oxidation. This process allows me to create patterns, textures, and narratives that bring imagined gatherings of birds, fish, and plants to life. Working from my home studio on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay, I find endless inspiration in the rhythms and beauty of this environment.

Shop Shirley Gromen's pottery here.

Thanks Charlie Cummings Gallery, Gainesville, FL

Happy hearts day!

 

Charles H Geilfus (1856 - 1914) Repairing Hearts 1900

Charles H Geilfus (1856 - 1914) Repairing Hearts 1900

The Boss

 Bruce Springsteen - Dancing in the Dark

Just for fun

The simple beat, and lyrics...still enjoyable all these years later.

Paul McCartney Set The Glastonbury Festival On Fire Saturday Night With A Jaw-Dropping Surprise That Had The Crowd Raging—Bringing Out Unbelievable Guests Dave Grohl And Bruce Springsteen!

Facebook post Feb 10, 2025

Movie: The Lady in the Van

 Upon Dame Maggie Smith's recent death, I started watching all of her movies that I could find. This was a somewhat odd but charming one.

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 The Lady in the Van is a 2015 British comedy-drama film directed by Nicholas Hytner and written by Alan Bennett. The film is based on the true story of an elderly woman named Mary Shepherd, who, despite her unconventional lifestyle, made a lasting impression on Bennett. Maggie Smith stars as the eccentric Mary Shepherd, a woman who lives in a dilapidated van parked in Bennett's driveway for 15 years.

The story is set in London and follows the unique relationship between Mary and Alan Bennett, played by Alex Jennings, who allows her to stay in his driveway despite her unpredictable behavior and often mysterious past. Through a series of flashbacks and humorous exchanges, the film reveals the complicated and touching dynamics of their unlikely friendship. It also explores themes of kindness, boundaries, and compassion, as well as the hidden stories that people carry with them.

Maggie Smith’s performance as Mary Shepherd was widely acclaimed, earning her a Golden Globe nomination and solidifying the film as a favorite among fans of British cinema. The Lady in the Van is known for its wit, depth, and emotional resonance, all delivered with a charming British sensibility. It's a poignant yet humorous exploration of the lives of two seemingly very different individuals who, over time, develop a deep and genuine connection.