The Ten Most famous Masterpieces Ever by guest blogger Geoff Jackson

The Mona Lisa

The Mona Lisa was painted by Leonardo Da Vinci in the first part of the 16th century. It is a portrait of a woman who is believed to have been Lisa Gherardini. Da Vinci used oils to create the masterpiece on a panel made of poplar. In the painting the subject is sat in front of a faint landscape in the background. The painting is famous for the indecipherable expression on the woman's face, which many scholars have debated the meaning of.

The Scream

The Scream is a painting which features a figure with a screaming face in its forefront. It is an example of Expressionism and was painted by the Norwegian artist Edvard Munch in 1893. There are four different versions of this work with each created using a different medium, including oils, pastels and tempera. The original piece is currently displayed in the National Gallery in Oslo, Norway.

The Laughing Cavalier

The Laughing Cavalier is a portrait of an unknown man, who was believed to be in the military. It was painted in 1624 by the Dutch painter Frans Hals and is famous for the way in which the eyes of the subject appear to follow you in every direction. The image has been reproduced many times over the years and the original is now displayed as part of the Wallace Collection in London.

Guernica

Guernica is a masterpiece by the artist Pablo Picasso. It was created in 1937 following the Spanish Civil War and depicts the aftermath of war. It appears to be a mass of figures and was painted in grey, black and white oils on a very large canvas. Guernica was taken all around the world on a tour, being displayed so as to bring the Civil War to everyone's attention.

The Hay Wain

John Constable painted The Hay Wain in 1821. It is a landscape painting of the River Stour in Suffolk and depicts a hay wain being pulled across the river by two horses. There is a cottage to the left of the picture which is known to be located near Flatford Mill which was owned by Constables father. The Hay Wain is considered to be a British masterpiece and is currently displayed at the National Gallery in London.

Girl with a Pearl Earring

Girl with a Pearl Earring is a Dutch masterpiece by Johannes Vermeer. It was painted around the middle of the seventeenth century and features a girl with her hair pulled back from her face, wearing a pearl earring. The painting was created in oil on canvas and has been restored many times over the years. Girl with a Pearl Earring has also been represented in both literature and film, most notably the 2003 film starring Scarlet Johannson and Colin Firth.

Sunflowers

Sunflowers is a series of paintings depicting sunflowers by the Dutch artist Vincent Van Gogh. There are two groups of paintings in this series. The first group were painted in 1887 in Paris while the second set were created the following year in Arles. In the Paris paintings the sunflowers are lying on the ground, while in the second set the sunflowers are arranged in vases. Sunflowers were painted in oil and are currently displayed in the National Gallery in London.

Impression, Sunrise

Impression, Sunrise is an Impressionist painting by the French artist Claude Monet. It was painted in 1872 and was the primary work of the Impressionist movement. It is an oil landscape of the La Havre harbour in France. As was popular within this movement, the painting merely suggests the landscape using soft loose brush strokes. The painting was stolen in 1985 but was recovered and has been displayed in the Musee Marmatton Monet in Paris since 1991.

The Last Supper

The Last Supper is a mural painting of the scene of Jesus and his disciples at the last supper. It was painted at the end of the fifteenth century by Leonardo Da Vinci as part of the renovations of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, Italy. It has been restored many times as well as being mentioned frequently in literature and film, most recently in the book and film adaptation “The Da Vinci Code”.

Whistler's Mother

Whistler's Mother is an oil painting of a seated woman from a side view. It was painted by the American painter James McNeill Whistler in 1871. It was painted in grey, black and white and is one of the most famous works by an American artist. It was purchased in 1891 by the French state and is displayed at the Musee d'Orsay in Paris.

Featured images:

•  License: Royalty Free or iStock source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cavalier_soldier_Hals-1624x.jpg#file
•  License: Royalty Free or iStock source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:The_Scream.jpg#file
•  License: Royalty Free or iStock source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mona_Lisa,_by_Leonardo_da_Vinci,_from_C2RMF_retouched.jpg#file
•  License: Royalty Free or iStock source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:PicassoGuernica.jpg#file
•  License: Royalty Free or iStock source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:John_Constable_The_Hay_Wain.jpg#file
•  License: Royalty Free or iStock source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Johannes_Vermeer_(1632-1675)_-_The_Girl_With_The_Pearl_Earring_(1665).jpg#file
•  License: Royalty Free or iStock source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Vincent_Willem_van_Gogh_127.jpg#file
•  License: Royalty Free or iStock source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Claude_Monet,_Impression,_soleil_levant,_1872.jpg#file
•  License: Royalty Free or iStock source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:%C3%9Altima_Cena_-_Da_Vinci_5.jpg#file
•  License: Royalty Free or iStock source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Whistlers_Mother_high_res.jpg#file

Geoff Jackson is an art enthusiast and is currently working closely with Fotoviva, a leading canvas prints supplier in the UK. Subscribe to their blog for the latest news from the art industry.

Think Like a 4 Year Old

Childhood is the world of miracle or of magic: it is as if creation rose luminously out of the night, all new and fresh and astonishing. Childhood is over the moment things are no longer astonishing. When the world gives you a feeling of "déjà vu," when you are used to existence, you become an adult.

EUGENE IONESCO, Present Past / Past Present

What a gift childhood is. Coming to every new thing with wide eyed wonder. Celebrating every little new accomplishment. Doesn't it make you smile when you hear a child exclaim, "Look, I can tie my shoes!"  "Look,I can make a snow angel" "Look, I made a flower!" 

Then there are the things they say which have no basis in reality at all. They will look at you and tell you with solemn seriousness and a prideful look. "I can Fly!" I'm a superhero!"  "I can jump to the top of that building!" "My friends and I are all princesses." 

Children come to the world with no prior knowledge. Everything they encounter is fresh and awesome and wonderful the first time. Its a discovery.

Everything they learn to accomplish comes with unbridled pride and joy as they discover human powers that they didn't know they had.

Do you ever look closely at children's art? Some times it is astonishing in it's inventiveness.

That wild imagination totally loosens itself in their art. They don't know that there are supposed to be RULES. That's something we impose on them over time, killing for a while the natural inclination to let unfettered creativity show itself. It has to be rediscovered.

Why must being an adult mean losing this wonder, joy, pride and freedom?

I want to think like a 4 year old again. I want to get truly excited when I learn that I can do something new and I want to celebrate it loudly.

I want to be completely astonished by every new flower I see, every fact I learn about the universe, every simple thing that surrounds me.

I want to totally let go. I want to create art straight from my imagination. I want to forget the rules imposed on me. I want to forget any "adults don't do that" voices in my head....

I want my colors, my creations, my joy, my excitement to be my superpowers. I want to feel a thump, thump, thump in my heart and have a wide smile spread over my face with every new thing I make. I will not suppress it. I will live in 4 year old joy!

Radiant Child © 2005 Karen O'Lone -Hahn

New thoughts as they trickle in...

Some belated New Years Resolutions....(It's still the New Year right ?)

#1 Done!

1. Buy fresh flowers twice a month

2. Burn more scented candles when I am home alone working

3. Eat dinner with fancy plates and candles with my hubby in the dining room for no special reason.

4. Eat dinner with fancy plates and candles by myself in the dining room for no special reason.

5. Clean out the jacuzzi and use it.

6. Burn more fires in the fireplace or pit.

That's it for now.. like I said, it's a trickle....

addendum: 7. Schedule one day a month on the calendar to  plan, dream, organize schedule and reflect on items pertaining to my art and life.

What are your plans or thought for making the New Year different or better ?

Christmas Crazies Recovery

I haven't posted in a few weeks. In fact, once Christmas was over I went into chill out mode. When Dec. 20 hit and there was no more possibility of packages arriving on time for Christmas, I felt that I could finally take a break from frantic production and mailing and start focusing on our own nice family Christmas which we did enjoy very much. Today is Jan. 4 and I don't think I am recovered and ready to go just yet. After months of running to the clay studio, keeping up with my etsy shop listings and treasuries, social networking, displaying my work at art and craft shows, I may need a few more days just to drink coffee under a blanket, reflect on 2012 and chart my plans and dreams for the year ahead.

Reflecting on 2012, participating in a members gift shop at the Oxford Art Alliance near my home was one of the positive experience that I enjoyed. It took some of the burden of selling my work off of me and put my work before a wider audience. The show was very well run and successful for most artists participating not just myself. A local reviewer seemed to enjoy the show also and perhaps this article helped to fuel sales. I was very surprised to see it this morning and to see that my painting "Eat Your Broccoli" was included.

 I haven't decided what my next post will be but once I have had the time to write those reflections and dreams for going into the new year, I may post them here, when I have had more coffee and regained more energy.... which shouldn't be long. I am generally very busy going about my artistic life and  I want to live out one of my favorite quotes...

"My life belongs to the whole community and as long as I live, it is a privilege to do for it whatsoever I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work, the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no 'brief candle' to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment; and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations." 
Shaw, at Brighton, 1907

So be on the lookout for what's up next. You'll know when I know :0)

Another Christmas

It seems every year, Christmas sneaks up on me a little faster. I spend just about every weekend in the fall doing an art show or preparing for one. September and October seem to be a frenzy of activity after the lazy days of summer. By the time I've finished my October shows I am getting ready for my Open Studio and then- Wham! it's the Christmas season again. My mail box becomes overstuffed with coupons and catalogs, some from companies I have never heard of before. The TV and the radio hum ceaselessly with jingles and ads for products that I don't need and never ending one-day sales that I sadly, eventually succumb to. I used to love going out and finding all those bargains and I admit, have been guilty of going a little over board with gifts for my family, especially my daughter. But I got such good deals and it was like treasure hunting...

 However, more and more each year, I am going out less and less to the stores. After my first and what will probably be my last shopping trip of the season the other day, I have decided that my treasure hunting from store to store may permanently become a quiet and maybe a little lonely trek through cyber space only.

The reason: people. What has happened to them? Every year that I go out to shop it seems people are becoming more and more rude and aggressive behind the wheel. In just one day people were parking so close to my car that I couldn't get in the door, tailgating me,cutting off in front of me and the most interesting off all, passing me on the left at a red light by driving up the medial strip to get into a turning lane and then flipping ME off! All I could do was shake my head.

I used to love to go out shopping at Christmas. I love the decorations and the Salvation Army bells ringing. I loved the high school chorus singing that I might happen upon,the fake Santa's and mesmerized young faces, and most of all I loved to share a little Christmas spirit by doing little random acts of kindness where I could- opening doors for people, sharing that extra coupon I have in my purse, buying a coffee for the person behind me in the coffee line.

I'm not down on Christmas. I will still do those things where I can and I encourage others to do the same. Just be kind people!

Christmas is a time of love and sharing even though it has been made into a big empty commercial holiday.

But for me, it's still about Christ- the joy of His birth and the blessing of His life, death and resurrection.

It's also about family and the people I love. I still find joy in baking cookies with my daughter, hosting our annual Christmas Open House, watching "Its a Wonderful Life" while eating pizza Christmas Eve, breakfasting Christmas morning with our dear friends and cooking dinner at home Christmas night. 

But my very favorite thing about Christmas is when everyone else has gone to bed on Christmas Eve and I go out on my deck and look up at the stars. There is no traffic on the road and it seems that I can almost hear the air because the world is has become so still. If there is snow- all the better. It is indeed, a Silent Night, Holy Night.

I hope that all those people rushing around, driving like maniacs and being rude to other people in their quest for STUFF, might also take a moment to look up and remember and feel the real meaning of Christmas and experience the joy and peace of the season.

Pixie Dust

Sadly, that is a cigarette:0(

I have the cutest pixie of a daughter in the world. She's 18 and has her own most adorable style of dress that I guess could be best described as if you took a punk rocker and ran her into a wall of color and then had a mind meld with a hippy and then sent her to live in some bohemian tribe, she would fit right in. Sounds wild and crazy, but she wears the outfits that she puts together with such style that women have stopped her on the street over the years (she started this as a tween) to admire and compliment her. I so love this about her. When I was young I too had my own style of 80's hip, but my girl has it all over me. I never sported fairy wings as she has been know to do either :0). She has always been her own person, eeking mega brains and personality and an off the wall sense of humor. She is not only intellectually brilliant, but is a very talented musician and writer and not surprisingly, an artist. She had  always amazed and delighted me when she was little with her bright, detailed drawings brimming with joy and the observations of a busy young mind.

I suppose perhaps the museum visits and the bed time stories of Frida Kahlo, Mary Cassatt, Degas, and one of our favorites "When Pigasso Met Mootisse" might have had something to do with her love of art.
Or maybe it was "Please Don't Eat The Pictures" (Sesame Street at the Met) that we watched over and over together. Maybe her Dad and I had something to do with it, he also being a musician. She has always had a lot going on in her mind and emotions and being a very strong willed and independent only child, can be difficult to parent at times. We are also a lot alike in many ways, and at times, the mother -daughter relationship has been painful for both of us as she struggles to break away and become her own person and I struggle with letting her go. 



When she was little I looked forward to the time when I thought she and I would spend time making art together, maybe somewhere between 12-17. Little did I know that her fiercely independent teenage personality would want nothing to do with me in that realm. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised. From the time she was small she always wanted to find things out for herself and thought she should know everything, which is why I let the desire to home school her pass. 

First Place HS ArtShow Painting

I had never "taught" her art. I purposely never sat her down and said, "this is how you do this." If she asked, I shared, but I never wanted to impose my vision or style on her.  I never wanted anyone to look at her work (if she pursued art) and say, you're good just because of your Mom. In that, I was successful, as she is such a wonderfully talented artist with a personal style and visual narrative that surpasses her youth.


To my delight, something wonderful happened this week. The time I have been waiting for came. She asked me to teach her pottery! She asked to come to the studio! She was letting me in! We can now learn and share in each others creative processes. I want to sing, I want to shout! It means so much to me to have this opportunity to share and bond with my daughter over the processes of art that have saved me.

What a delight it is to see her beautiful designs in clay coming out of her so easily.I love looking at her in her funky cloths and exploding with the creativity and specialness that is my daughter. Everyone in the studio comes over to admire her work and compliment her. I have always been proud of her for so many reasons, but this is a special kind of proud, and I am feeling an excitement about our new budding artistic relationship and us sharing where each of our artistic journeys might take us together. :0)

In the Clay Studio

Ceramic Incense Burners

My Magic Pen

 This pen and pot sist on the table next to my books when I am at an art fair, book signing or show. There is always a curiosity about it and adults and kids a like always walk up and quickly pull the pen out of the pot and ask "What is it?" and "Did you make it?

It is made out of sculpey clay or fimo and I did not make it. I bought it in 1994 at a craft fair from a parapalegic woman. She earned her money by making all sorts of animal pots-frogs, giraffes, dogs, you name it.

If I remember correctly, I think she sold them for a pretty cheap price and having just started out myself doing art shows and such, I thought it was a fitting and great utilitarian item to have for my display.

 I have decided that this lady must have gotten some magic blessing from God on her pens and here's why:

The pen is just a regular ball point pen wrapped in the sculpey and baked in an oven. Since buying it and using it regularly since 1994, IT HAS NEVER RUN OUT OF INK OR BEEN REPLACED!

Think about the ball point pens that you own or have owned in your lifetime. Do you have any that are 18 years old and still writing?

The BicWorld FAQ says that a bic pen will write for about 2 miles. Ezine articles says 5 miles. I don't know what either of those figures equates to in years, but I think that most of us would be hard pressed to find a bic pen even in our junk drawers that has lasted that long. And that is why I call this My Magic Pen ....