Artisan This
Artisan Tostitos? Seriously? I’m thinking of a new advertising slogan: Artisan Art. In a world where one can buy Artisan Bread, Artisan Cheese, and mass-produced Artisan Tortilla Chips,the term “artisan” has been devalued. May as well jump right in. During the Renaissance, the individuality of the artist was not of particular importance—he was celebrated for …
A change is as good as a rest
If one can make a pretty photo out of squirrel ectoplasm, one can make anything beautiful! By the time I’m done doing my five miles and my exercises, I’m usually ready to go back to bed. Yesterday, I did exactly that. I’m worn out. In May, a large stack of empty frames clattered to the …
How blue is the sky?
Saussure’s Cyanometer. Should put any fears of Prussian Blue being fugitive to rest; he made this in the mid-18th century. How blue is the sky? Landscape painters know that this varies depending on where one is standing, the season, the weather, and even the direction in which one is looking. Local conditions also apply; for …
Wrestling with God, Part 2
The Calling of Saint Matthew, 1599-1600, by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, no stranger to sin himself. Yesterday, Sandy Quang wrote about wrestling with God and Oswald Chambers’ realization that his calling was not to art school, but to the ministry. Last night I got this note from a friend who is a Texan, a convert …
Wrestling with God
The Vision After the Sermon (Jacob wrestling with the Angel),Paul Gauguin, 1888, Scottish National Gallery. I asked my trusty assistant, Sandy Quang, to fill in for me today: I recently watched a documentary about Oswald Chambers. Chambers was essentially Jacob from Genesis 32-22-32. Chambers had experienced failure in his career as an artist, and one …