The Hockney Effect

My creation

Originally uploaded by jjzach

I was playing around with something called the Hockneyizer that allows you to make a quick collage from a single photograph. I’m a sucker for all the cool flickr tools out there.

The Most Amazing Quilt

We went to an exhibit called The Art of the Needle and I was really taken with a quilt by a woman named Ida W. Beck from Easton, PA. From afar it didn’t seem that unique, but the detail work was amazing. It is clear that it took many year to plan and make this quilt that includes many different alphabets, flowers, months and seasons. Ida W. Beck lived from 1880 - 1967 and was described as a shut-in who specialized in needlework and monogramming. She donated this work to the Shelburne Museum collection in 1955. The center of the quilt is a monogram that contains all letters of the alphabet except for the letter I. The Posy Collection sells a needlework design of the center portion of the quilt.

Spell with Flickr

Here is a fun Flickr tool called Spell with Flickr that lets you type in a word or sentence and it spells it with photographs. If you don’t like the first letter it gives you click on the letter and you can scroll through until you are happy. I may use this to make some cool signs for the walls at school.

Gocco is Back!

I just got an email from the Paper Source and the Subject was We’ve got Gocco! I checked the Save Gocco site and it looks like the fate has turned around for this product. As soon as I got one I heard that it was being phased out so I was afraid to use up my supplies. Now everybody can Gocco away.

Recipe = Eggs + Pigment

I took an Egg Tempera Painting class at the SMFA last week. We all did copies of an Italian painting in the Museum from the 14th Century. This included one head study and one drapery study within the same painting. It was great to learn the process and spend so much time on a small painting. I didn’t take pics of all the steps but we started with a drawing, then transfered an ink drawing onto a gesso panel and then painted over the ink study with an egg/pigment combo. Before tempering the panel with paint, the background was etched for definition with a gilding needle (which is like a torture device for the hands). Next the background was covered with gold size, which is a quick drying adhesive for gilding. After the adhesive is down you spread goldish paper down and brush with a paint brush until the background is shiny and pretty. It took a while, but was very relaxing.

Todd Farm

Todd Farm is really the best flea market for bargains north of Boston on Rt. 1A in Rowley. It is every Sunday from April through October. We try to get there around 8am because vendors start packing up at around 11am. Rumor has it that this may be the last year depending on what happens with a land agreement. We scooped up this etching for $40 last weekend. My friend reports that it may be by a British Etcher c. 1920, depicting a northern Italian haying scene.

Update: Good news! It looks like the farm has settled their land dispute and the flea market will live on.

Art Show

For the first time we had an art exhibition at work. It got me in gear to frame some of my watercolor paintings for display at the show. It was fun to see what all my co-workers do in their spare time . . . from painting and photography to making hats or doll house furniture.

The Gates

We stopped in NYC on our way to D.C. to check out the Gates. Well worth the stop. Here are a couple of web spoofs of the Gates:

The Somerville Gates

The Crackers