Friday Flowers: Among the Winter Roses

Rose: Honor

Sonnet 73


That time of year thou mayst in me behold 
When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang 
Upon those boughs which shake against the cold, 
Bare ruin’d choirs, where late the sweet birds sang. 
In me thou seest the twilight of such day 
As after sunset fadeth in the west, 
Which by and by black night doth take away, 
Death’s second self, that seals up all in rest. 
In me thou see’st the glowing of such fire 
That on the ashes of his youth doth lie, 
As the death-bed whereon it must expire 
Consumed with that which it was nourish’d by. 
   This thou perceivest, which makes thy love more strong, 
   To love that well which thou must leave ere long. 

---William Shakespeare

Rose: Olympiad

It's always a good time to feature a poem by Shakespeare, but, during this drab period in which so few flowers are in bloom, stunted by the unusually frigid weather, it seems especially appropriate. Though the blossoms are scarcely to be found, these elegant words bring color to the gardens of our minds.

Well, the icy days may be behind us now. Today was nice and warm, inspiring me to head outside and bask in the sunlight. Perhaps the flowers will be soon to follow. ;-)

Friday Flowers: Blueberry Thrill

Viola Wittrockiana: Blueberry Thrill Pansies


Oh, the Places You'll Go! (Stanzas 1-4)
(By Dr. Seuss)

Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You're off to Great Places!
You're off and away!

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.
You're on your own. And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go.

You'll look up and down streets. Look 'em over with care.
About some you will say, "I don't choose to go there."
With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet,
you're too smart to go down any not-so-good street.

And you may not find any
you'll want to go down.
In that case, of course,
you'll head straight out of town.


Today marks the birth date of Theodor Seuss Geisel, born March 2, 1904.

In terms of profound and beautiful verse, it's hard to put his works alongside those of Emily Dickinson or Elizabeth Bishop, but these narrative poems, with their engaging rhymes and imaginative stories, had a profound impact upon my development as a storyteller and poet. As a child, I had committed to memory a few of my favorite works. They planted within me a lifelong love for reading and reciting.

So, I actually have no problem celebrating Dr. Seuss as one of the greatest of American poets. ;-)

Viola Wittrockiana: A field of pansies

As regards the pansies, they've always reminded me of Dr. Seuss' creatures, with expressive "faces" and vibrant, multihued colors. Maybe it's an association that was developed in childhood. Nevertheless, in my imagination, pansies are the official flowers of Whoville.

Strong to the Finich

Popeye and Olive Oyl in A Date to Skate (1938)

My love for classic cartoons is well established on this blog. But one of my favorites is Popeye the Sailor, originally created by E. C. Segar in 1929 for his comic strip, Thimble Theatre.

Yeah, the plots are nonsensical, mere vehicles for absurd fisticuffs and overt brutishness, but I can't help enjoying the simple-minded mayhem. The creativity with which Popeye and Bluto assault each other, ever escalating to new heights of fantastic brutality, captivates me. I often enjoy seeing just how much of a pummelling that Popeye will receive before he pops open a can of spinach.

Crazy stuff!!! Yet, as a child, I spent countless Sunday mid-mornings watching these cartoons on Tom Hatten's Popeye Show, featured on KTLA. Obviously, this was well before the "Shelter the children from violent images" trend that came into prominence during the 1980s.

Popeye and Bluto in Popeye the Sailor Meets Sinbad the Sailor (1936)

In any case, let's spend a few moments to enjoy some purposeless animated mayhem. ;-)

Whenever He Gets in a Fix

Felix the Cat debuted on November 9, 1919 in Feline Follies


We can't let the day pass without celebrating Felix the Cat.

As a child, I would wake up bright and early on weekday mornings to watch old Felix cartoons, specifically the television series from the late 1950s to early '60s. The Professor and Poindexter brought me a great deal of amusement. It wasn't until I was significantly older that I found out about the early silent shorts featuring Felix.

Cool stuff!!! ;-)

"You'll laugh so much your sides will ache."


Let's look at some vids.

Such an Adorable Little Cat

Happy Birthday, Hello Kitty!


On this date in 1974, Hello Kitty was created!!!

It's hard for me to imagine a world without the famous feline, a beast that attained popularity just as I was entering elementary school. The girls at school were of the target age for this new fad out of Japan, resulting in Hello Kitty stickers, pencils, folders, clothes, toys, and just about anything upon which Sanrio could stick a mouthless visage. The Cat even put my sister under its spell, extending its influence into my house, into my very bedroom!!!

Yeah, I have issues with Hello Kitty. ;-)

Age has mellowed me out in regards to the Sanrio Scourge, but I still can't understand the appeal. Hello Kitty didn't peak and fade, but attained an enduring popularity, becoming a worldwide pop culture icon. How?!! It's not that there is something innately bad about the Kitty, but I can't see exactly what has enabled it to attain iconic status.

Hurry, Hello Kitty, your gifts are waiting!!!

Well, life is full of mysteries and cult of Hello Kitty is one of them.

Among the Purple Sage

Mexican Bush Sage (Salvia Leucantha) in front of the Huntington Art Gallery


I read Zane Grey's classic Western novel, Riders of the Purple Sage, when I was little more than a child. I had no clue as to how purple sage actually looked, but my imagination was more than willing to envision a landscape painted every shade from puce to periwinkle.

As I grew older and began to draw botanical studies, I finally came across "purple sage" in the form of Mexican Bush Sage. It was a shocking experience because, as a native of Southern California, I had been living amongst it for most of my life!!! It wasn't some mythic flora from the remote wastelands of Utah; it was in my neighbor's front yard!

So, whenever I come across a beautiful display of Mexican Bush Sage, it always takes me back to both the whimsy of youth and that moment of revelation where the legendary is recognized in the quotidian.

Close view of Mexican Bush Sage

But, just because the purple sage has become a commonplace object, doesn't mean that it has lost its place within my imagination. If anything, having a firm mental image of the sage brings greater depths to my mental meanderings. ;-)

From Deepest Darkest Peru

A Bear Called Paddington (published October 13, 1958) was illustrated by Peggy Fortnum

An Anglophile even as a child, my sister badgered my parents into buying her a Paddington Bear doll for her birthday sometime in the mid-seventies.

Although I have great affection for toys, I'm not a teddy bear person. But Paddington Bear has a special quality that set him apart from the run-of-the-mill bears. His big hat, the suitcase, his love for marmalade, these traits appealed to my youthful sense of the distinctive. Paddington was something more than a cute, fluffy doll. He had a story. Heck, he journeyed all the way from the deepest, darkest Peru!!!

Well, there obviously couldn't be two Paddington Bears in the family. So, I contented myself with drawing him and his adventures in Peru. And eating marmalade. ;-)

The BBC broadcast Paddington in 1975


After all these years, I still have nostalgia for the one teddy bear that I actually liked. And marmalade? It's the best!!!

Ready for Takeoff

Rocketship Park in Torrance


There are three areas that provide especially awesome views of the Los Angeles basin. The first is the Griffith Observatory, viewing the urban sprawl from the north. The second is the Getty Center, viewing from the northwest. And the third is Rocketship Park in Torrance, viewing from the south.

Aside from the view, the main attraction is the old "Rocketship" from 1960. It's a big, metal playground rocket, with a slide. I remember thinking it was the coolest slide EVER when I was a child. Not because it twisted or turned or was especially long. Rather, it was so exciting because it seemed as if you would go sliding down from the Palos Verdes heights into the city itself, at least within my youthful imagination. The slide faces a long, sloping cliffside with nothing between the rocket and the panoramic view of the Los Angeles urban sprawl.

Of course, the rocket is set far back from the cliff. Yet, for a child, it seems to be so amazingly close to the edge and so beautifully elevated over the city.

The rocketship was restored in 1993.

Given the constant rebuilding and devotion to novelty that characterizes LA, I'm constantly surprised that the rocket still stands. It was "dated" when I was a youngster and it's been a very long time since then. ;-)

Fractured Reflections from Bygone Days

Chomp (2011) by Christopher Murphy

Do you ever look back at your youthful days and shudder with embarrassment at the stupid things you did? Or recoil with chagrin at the awkward situations in which you got involved? When your mom or an elderly aunt opens up her photo album from the days of your childhood, does it feel like they are about to reveal conclusive evidence of your undeniable folly? That's the type of vibe that I get from Christopher Murphy's exhibit "Forget That You Were Young" showing at the Lora Schlesinger Gallery in Bergamot Station.

These paintings capture life's absurdities, moments that the subject might prefer letting slip away into the fog of distant memory. After all, would we really want that time we took a hammer to a beehive to be documented for future mockery? Or how about that time you botched an attempt for the "Coolest Dive Ever" and the photo snapped just as you realized it wasn't going as planned? Or just being wildly inappropriately dressed for the situation?

Future Vegetarian (2011) by Christopher Murphy

Yet, there is a nostalgia to these images. They may be depicting times and situations that we wish didn't happen, but, since they did, are they really better off forgotten? Aren't the humiliating moments of our lives part of that which built our character?

Wrapped in Plastic

Blimp (2007) by Anne Veraldi


While I was visiting Bergamot Station last Saturday, I was able to catch an opening at dnj Gallery of Anne Veraldi's Plastic Rose series. In essence, it's a photographic series of toys wrapped in plastic bags. The plastic works as an obscurement device, a filter, through which the details of the subject are muted, resulting in a dream-like image that provokes uncertainty in the viewer as to the actual nature of the subject. Is it a real blimp or a toy? With the detail made vague, the answer is not immediately obvious.

Moreover, the use of toys as the subject of the photos evokes a sense of childhood fantasies. With the ambiguity of the subject's nature, the childlike ability to imagine a toy as the actuality that it represents is recreated in the viewer. It's a skill that most adults have left behind as they've matured beyond the desire to play "make believe" with toy vehicles, dolls, or soldiers. Therefore, the reactivation of this cognitive ability provokes both a sense of amusement and of nostalgia from the viewer.

It's a simple concept, but it elicits a deceptively complex emotional response.

Rider (2007) by Anne Veraldi


The plastic serves as a filter, but it also functions as the space in which the subjects exist. It suggests the terrain features, environmental effects, and spatial reality of the subject's imaginary world. Additionally, the color and texture of the plastic inspire certain moods or "atmospheres" of emotion.

When Women Wore Gloves

Little Girl Go (2011) by DJ Hall


Koplin Del Rio Gallery in Culver City is currently exhibiting works by DJ Hall in "Kodak Moments, Portrait of a Los Angeles Artist in the 1950's." The artist under review in the '50s is DJ Hall as a child in Southern California. It's a playful show with a good mix of nostalgia and impudence. On one hand, there is a clear love for the details and nuances of the era, from Disney lunch boxes to girls attire to poolside birthday parties. On the other hand, there is a tongue in cheek campiness that portrays the era with a "Dick and Jane" simplicity.

In terms of emulating an era or setting, this show is fantastic. But there are other elements that make this show more than just a fine display of emulation. First, the painting and composition of the works are exceptional. These exuberant images are crafted with bold, expressive strokes. The vitality of the brushwork is the foundation from which these figures derive their powerful presence. Even the flowers seem to jump off the canvas towards the viewer. This paint has got punch!

Smell the Roses (2010) by DJ Hall

The second element that wins me over is the manner in which the artist uses her youthful self as a mirror or counterpoint to her mature self. In some of the paintings, the child has an adult's self-awareness. It's as if the artist has transferred her consciousness back in time into her young body. It's a powerful depiction of the way we all reflect back on our life, experiencing these childhood memories from the vantage of adulthood. In our memory, we inhale the fragrant flowers of our grandparent's garden with a poignant intensity that children rarely demonstrate. Kids aren't aware of the transience of life, wherein the flowers shortly pass away, as do beloved pets and family members.

The Spirit Is There in Every Boy

Detail of Rescue Breathing No. 2 (2010) by Abel Baker Gutierrez

Last Saturday, I attended the Luis De Jesus Gallery's opening of "Swimming", a solo show featuring the works of Abel Baker Gutierrez. The images are inspired by '50s era photos and films of Boy Scouts, specifically in regards to water-related survival training. From this source material, Gutierrez has contextualized the imagery within a dark, ambiguous but vaguely menacing setting. The technique and style of these oil paintings evoke a 19th century feel, part Realisim and part late Romanticism.

The overall effect is haunting. There is an incongruity between image and style. We imagine the boy scouts training in a bright, sunny setting, but these paintings are dark and mysterious. The style is associated with nude female bathers and naturalist wooded landscapes, but here we have energetic youths and rowboats. A subtle sense of wrongness pervades these works. Yet, the images are compelling compositions, with hints of narrative inspired by the clash of subject and style.



Above as Below No. 6 (2010) By Abel Baker Gutierrez


Gutierrez's exquisite painterly technique creates a rich surface texture and engaging play of light and shadow. All these elements combine to make this a fascinating show.

Precarious Transition from Girl to Woman

Cover art by Rudy Nappi (1962)

Recently, I've been interested in the use of tableaux in artistic expressions, as demonstrated in my posts on Luigi Ontani's AmenHammerAmeno and the Getty's exhibit on Photography from the New China. A bit of serendipity arrived in my inbox in the form of a message from dnj gallery about the availability of some photographs by Holly Andres. These photos are from her series "Sparrow Lane" which happens to be a work of narrative tableaux. Hurray!!!

The premise is the exploration of emergent experiences of adulthood as a woman from the starting point of childhood as a girl. Andres utilizes the imagery of Nancy Drew to draw connotative values to work. Just as Nancy bravely confronts the mysteries before her, so too do these young women investigate the secrets of adult femininity. Just as Nancy's surrounding carry a sense of menace, likewise the girls of Sparrow Lane transgress into a "forbidden" realm. There is definitely a foreboding mood to these images.

Here are a couple images:

Outside the Forbidden Bedroom by Holly Andres

The Ruby Ring by Holly Andres

These are images that could be drawn straight off of a Nancy Drew cover, but the sexual subtext is unmistakable. I appreciate the nuances of the images. For instance in the "Forbidden Bedroom", I like how the older girl has her hand upon the younger girl's shoulder, as if she's having second thoughts about seeing what's inside yet her facial expression displays a clear focus in the mystery before her. Likewise, the placement of the older girl kneeling at the base of the stairs holding a symbol of passion, while the younger girl looks down upon her with an expression of surprise, implies the attainment of adult knowledge but without full comprehension.

Yeah, I could go on and on about the Sparrow Lane series, discussing color, costume, symbolism and placement. But I recommend checking it out for yourself.

Here's a vid in which Holly Andres discusses the series:

Here's a link to Holly Andres' website.

And here's a link to the Nancy Drew Wikipedia page and her official website.

Enjoy!!!