Abstract Expression

Mystery Artist - Evening Palms©

Hi all! As much as I keep saying that I will give it some time before I add another one of my art pieces to a post, is the more I receive messages requesting that I add another soon lol! Well I guess I just have to go along with it. I took some time last week to work on two art pieces. One I have not completed and the other I have. Some days I leave work at sunset and there are days when I decide to just sit and admire the color changes of the sky as the sun sings the "See you Tomorrow" song. That was when I decided to do the art piece "Evening Palms." I am hoping to complete it soon.

Mystery Artist - Still Dance©







As for the abstract piece "Still Dance," I basically had some extra blobs of paint on my palette and and already prepared surface. At the time I was really in a mood of excitement. Really had that urge to just get up and dance in the midst of every emotion and so, I decided to 'abstract' my way unto this creation. I wonder if I am that much of a good dancer. I mean it has been a while and I may need a bit of "oiling" to get rid of the accumulated rust LOL! Hope you like the art pieces. You can have a larger view of this piece along with a few of my other art pieces in My Gallery. Anyway, I am off to do some more art searching. Later!! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Abstract Expression

Independence celebration in my homeland

Artist - Earl Etienne

Hi all! Been a real busy week so far. Issues at work, issues here and there lol! But they never keep me down. Funny how certain people are just always there for you whenever you are in need :-) Well back in my homeland, It is the season where we celebrate Independence. During this time, the island's culture is displayed in many forms such as dance, food, clothing and many other forms. I always like this time of year where the entire country embraces its rich culture. I am proud of my homeland. The art pieces gives a sneak peek of my homeland culture. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Independence celebration in my homeland

Another Jump Back

Photo Compliments: Wikipedia.org
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/79/Homer_glyptotek.jpg


Hello Everybody!

Today I decided to get back on track and research deeper into the history of Literature. I've strayed so much from the time that I read about the first recorded pieces of Literature. But should I really be blamed? With Literature there is so much to explore. However, I am sorry for not staying focused. Today I explored the history and development of Greek Literature through the ages. More specifically, I read about Ancient Greek Literature which is Greek Literature written before the 4th century A.D. The Greeks were very skillful writers and were the ones who invented many of the literary forms which we enjoy today, for example lyric poetry.

Greek Literature, as I had already discovered started in about the 8th century B.C with Homer's Iliad and Odyssey. During the prec lassical age (before 500 B.C.), there was another great poet called Hesoid. Two of his surviving poems are "Works and Days" and "Theogony". These two are also epic poems.

Another form of poetry also evolved in greek society at that time. This was lyric poetry with the first lyric poet being Archilochus of Paros. This type of poetry, along with many others, of course, was greater developed in the classical age (500-336 B.C.).

The Classical age gave way to genres of Western Literature such as odes, pastorals, elegies, epigrams, comical and tragic drama, histories, rhetorical treatises, philosophical dialects and philosophical treatises.

The Hellenistic Age (336-30 BC) gave way to further development of the genres that had already been established and also saw the introduction of astronomy and geography. One milestone in the Hellenistic Age, was the translation of the Old Testament to Greek. This was done in Alexandria and was completed by 2nd century B.C. and involved the work of 72 scholars.

One other very significant piece of Literature considered Ancient Greek Literature is the New Testament which was written in 1st to 2nd century A.D. The books of the New Testament were written in various forms of koine (common) Greek. The New Testament is a compilation of 27 "books", as they are now called, which tell of the life of Jesus and Christian living.

In short, there was great development in Western Literature in the age of "Ancient Greece." The Literature written at that time is considered Ancient Greek Literature. You can read more about Ancient Greek Literature here.

Well I'm off to read some more. I will keep you updated as I go along.

Bye!!! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Another Jump Back

Do You Remember This Rhyme?

Photo Compliments: Wikipedia.org
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8f/Sing_a_sing_of_sixpence_-_illustration_by_Walter_Crane_-_Project_Gutenberg_eText_18344.jpg


Hello Everybody!!

While listening to a mother sing to her baby boy yesterday, I realized that many of us started to learn Literature long before we even knew it. As children, the majority was and still are being taught nursery rhymes and other children songs. Because of their simplicity, rhyme and rhythm, these poems, as they should be rightly called, can be easily learnt and recalled. Many of these nursery rhymes are quite humorous and give children a desire to learn more and more. I certainly had fun learning them in my days! Here's one nursery rhyme that I learnt when I was quite young and I'm sure many of you have learnt as well.

Sing a Song of Sixpence

Sing a song of sixpence,
A pocket full of rye;
Four and twenty blackbirds
Baked in a pie.
When the pie was opened,
They all began to sing.
Now, wasn't that a dainty dish
To set before the King?

The King was in his counting house,
Counting out his money;
The Queen was in the parlor
Eating bread and honey.
The maid was in the garden,
Hanging out the clothes.
Along there came a big black bird
And snipped off her nose!

You can view the history and development of nursery rhymes here.

You can also have a look at more nursery rhymes here.

Have Fun!
Bye! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Do You Remember This Rhyme?

I had to dig deeper into soapstone carving

Talc Block -wikimedia
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Talc_block.jpg


My curiosity about soapstone Carving was stirred after meeting artist Ron Ervin Disbrowe. In general, Sculpturing is by no means a modern art form. In fact, the Ancient Egyptians carved images and bowls to put in the tombs of their Pharaohs. Most of these sculptors were made of soapstone. Soapstone is a rock composed mainly of talc. Other minerals and salts are also present in its structure. The rock was such called as it is very slippery (like a soap). Its softness and malleability allows it to be easily carved. Because many minerals leech into such rock, soapstone occurs naturally in many different colors. These properties make soapstone the ideal rock for the art of sculpturing. Read More.

Soapstone Cutter - Flickr User Wwarby
http://www.flickr.com/photos/26782864@N00/2405216294/



Through reading up on Soapstone carving in Canada, I observed that Soapstone is one of the most popular medium of the Inuit carvers. The sculptures represent the rich cultural heritage of these people, their traditions, beliefs and myths. their striking symbolism, are related directly to both the Inuit’s physical and spiritual world and represent a way of life that has been passed down from one generation to the next. I also found a small video from the BBC documentary, A Boy Among Polar Bears, which shares Inuit ancient traditions including soapstone carving, handed down from generation to generation as a "way of keeping Inuit stories and survival techniques alive." See here!

Here is a simple process I found for carving soapstone:

• Place some old paper on your work area to contain the excess soapstone dust and shavings.
• Don't forget safety first. Put on safety goggles and a respiratory mask before you begin to carve to prevent inhaling or ingesting dust.
• sketch out your design on your stone, using a pencil.
  
• Use a small saw to cut unwanted sections from the stone. A hacksaw blade is ideal for this job.
• Shape your sculpture using rasps and files of different sizes.
• Apply a wet/dry sand paper to your soapstone. Start with a low grit paper and work up to a higher grit. Remember to Change the water occasionally.
• Heat your kitchen oven to about 200 degrees F and warm your sculpture for about Ten to 15 minutes.
• Rub furniture wax into the warmed soapstone. Use a soft cloth, applying more wax to the areas you desire to be the darker than others.
  
• Buff to your preferred level of shine.

I also wandered about obtaining a chunk of soapstone. I found this page of Soapstone Sources which could help in that area.

I think I am gonna find myself a chunk of soapstone. Put my carving skills to the test. Well I'm off for now. Bye!! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I had to dig deeper into soapstone carving