Happy ThanksGiving

More magical surprises at RavensWood

Byrum has done it again! Although I thought he had retired to his village in RootUnder for the winter seasonal festivities. Behold here he is working his magic to astound me with the most special surprises ever.. Magic mushrooms!!!

Sparkling fall leaves

Bee

The Matriarch

In your eyes I see your life story, As you wore it like a weight.
No longer will you need to carry us,
as you are free at last from these mortal binds.
Soar my dear grandmother, soar to the beauty that lies ahead for you..

I loved you so..

RIP

11-20-2009

Christmas is Near...

Hi to all, I had to have these very bright crystal deer silhouettes. I had to set them up in my living room.. I am going to put them on the rocks in my fairy garden it should light the area very nicely!! The Buck looks magical.... Hopefully it stops raining so I can prepare the spot for them.

Hugs Bee

Vladimir Grigoryevich Tretchikoff

Hi to all , I had to do a post on this artist... I was mesmerized by his vision.. Hubby found this vintage print at a yard sale. So I had to research the artist.. How interesting of a journey it was.. Title;

Chinese Girl

Vladimir Grigoryevich Tretchikoff

1913-2006

Although Tretchikoff spent his early years in China, this portrait was painted in Cape Town. The model is a member of the small Chinese community there. Possibly the best known of all Tretchikoff's paintings. Lithographs of this painting can be seen in all corners of the world. Artist’s Collection, 1950’s First Hand Tretchikoff Print. This print has been produced to the highest quality under the artist’s personal supervision and is accompanied by a signed Certificate of Authentication.


To know his work is to understand an artist who became a phenomenon. A man who never compromised because he was being lead by an all-encompassing drive to do what he loved, to paint. Even in the face of adversity, he continued to pursue his passion, unashamedly.

Tretchikoff was a self-taught artist who painted realistic figures, portraits, still life and animals, with subjects often inspired by his early life in China and Malaysia, and later life in South Africa. Tretchikoff's work was immensely popular with the general public, but is often seen by art critics as the epitome of kitsch (indeed, he was nicknamed the "King of Kitsch"). He worked in oil, watercolour, ink, charcoal and pencil but is best known for his reproduction prints which sold worldwide in huge numbers. The reproductions were so popular that it was said Tretchikoff was second only to Picasso in his popularity

He quickly became famous in South Africa thanks to a book that collected his portraits of Oriental women and pictures of flowers, and held successful exhibitions in Cape Town and Johannesburg. His fame spread to the United States, where the Rosicrucians of San Jose invited him to launch an American tour. Around 19,000 people saw his show in Los Angeles and 51,000 in San Francisco. In Seattle, a rival show which included Picasso and Rothko sold fewer tickets, to Tretchikoff’s satisfaction. A million Americans finally saw his paintings, which then went on to Canada with equal success. This was followed by a large exhibition in 1961 at Harrods in London where he decided that the Harrod's art gallery was too small. He requested and was granted the privilege of having his exhibition in the ground-floor exhibition space. About 205,000[3] people attended the exhibition and one of his British admirers, Leslie Rigall, bought ten paintings and designed his new house in Windsor Great Park around them.

His famous Chinese Girl, a 1950 painting featuring an Eastern model with blue-green skin, is one of the best selling prints of all time. Prints of the painting became widespread during the 1960s and 1970s, and the painting was featured in various plays and television programmes: the original set of Alfie, with a drawn moustache in one episode of Monty Python's Flying Circus and an episode of Doctor Who.

Other popular paintings of oriental figures were Miss Wong and Balinese Girl. He said of British prima ballerina assoluta, Alicia Markova, who sat for The Dying Swan, that she was his most stimulating sitter.

The treats and things that glow in the night

Hi to all, Well with the moon was almost full. Samhain was truly a beautiful eve... A bit of rain but not much, the moon played tag with the clouds and made for a wonderful evening... No ghost hunting... But I will on the full moon...

Sparkling sugar cookies..

Bee

Blessed be to all this Samhain

"Hallowed Evening"

The moons a-glow, with golden rings.
The night is still, but the raven’s wing.
The winds are chilled in the quest of spring.
The cauldron swells with fog to mark twilight.
Let the balefires burn in celebration this Samhain night.

By BeeCharmer Oct 2009

Classic Horror Movies

Hi to all, I am doing a tribute to the classic horror film in this blog entry.

Four of "MY" favorites anyway..

Do you remember these...??

Creature from the Black Lagoon;
Release date ; 5 March 1954

Director: Jack Arnold

Plot; A scientific expedition traveling up the Amazon River encounter a dangerous humanoid amphibious fish creature

Richard Denning ... Dr. Mark Williams

Richard Carlson ... Dr. David Reed

Julie Adams ... Kay Lawrence (as Julia Adams)

Antonio Moreno ... Carl Maia

Nestor Paiva ... Captain Lucas

Whit Bissell ... Dr. Edwin Thompson

THEM;

Director: Gordon Douglas
19 June 1954
Nominated for Oscar

Plot ; The earliest atomic tests in New Mexico cause common ants to mutate into giant man-eating monsters that threaten civilization.

James Whitmore ... Ben Peterson, Edmund Gwenn, Joan Weldon ... James Arness ... Robert Graham, Onslow Stevens ... Sean McClory ... Chris Drake ... Sandy Descher ... Mary Alan Hokanson ... Don Shelton ... Fess Parker

Bride of Frankenstein;
Director: James Whale

Release Date ; 22 April 1935

Plot; Mary Shelley reveals the main characters of her novel survived: Dr. Frankenstein (goaded by an even madder scientist) builds his monster a mate.

Boris Karloff; the monster

Elsa Lanchester; the bride

The Invisable Man;

Director:James Whale

H.G. Wells (novel)
A scientist finds a way of becoming invisible, but in doing so, he becomes murderously insane.

Claude rains; The Invisable man

Gloria Stuart; Flora Cranley