Halloween on the Gulf Coast of Florida/Tampa/Hyde Park

There is something about a community and neighborhood that comes together for an event that is special. People stop their busy lives for a moment. Every thing goes back to a simpler time when sitting on the porch and waving to your neighbor was a daily event. Now, it is just on special days, but it is nice it still happens. A lot of people go all out for their decorations, it is really nice to see what they create. People often think only artists create, but actually everyone is in the act of creating in one way or another every day.

This little girl in her duck costume was just precious. Mom and Dad taking her out for her first halloween. You can see the pride and tenderness on the Mother's face. It makes me miss teaching just a wee bit. I love the sweetness and innocence of children.

I love the feel of this picture below. I could have lightened it in photoshop, but I liked it just the way it was. There was a feeling of the ending of a day, a fleeting moment when light is leaving and the night is coming. So much could be read into this photo: The end of the day, the end of excitement and fun, heading home, right behind Mom and Dad all safe and sound.

Isn't this a great photo, it almost feel like we have the viewpoint of one of the children coming up the walk saying, "Trick or Treat". The long walk leading up to the nice friendly witch looks a bit ominous and all the with candies we want at the very end!

I love the look of families together, this almost looks like a family portrait...Grandmother and two grandsons.

This spider actually moves back and forth. There is also a cat you can't see near him that moves also.


This decoration actually plays organ music. What will they think of next? Hope you enjoyed this Halloween journey down my street. Tomorrow out comes the glass, the cutting board and work begins anew for Wednesdays glass fusion class. I also have several ideas on the back burner for my mix media work that need to be put on the front burner! Happy Halloween All!

Halloween In Florida

Florida Halloween

Tropical Breezes, Palms fronds waving and ghosts a'floating....

I though you would like to see what a Florida Halloween looks like. This afternoon the little goblins came out to devour all the candies one could find. It gives each family a chance to be creative with their home decorations. So enjoy the following pictures are from the tropical Florida West Coast.

An Apology

An apology for our last three post. I meant to have photo's with each post, but hopefully you can follow the website addresses to the sites. Betsy

Starry Night ala Pumpkin!

http://www.geekosystem.com/starry-night-pumpkin/

Here is the site of the Pumpkin Carving from the MOMA, of Starry Night.

A Funny Art Teacher's Story

I knew I was a success as an art teacher when one of my 4th grade students came in with a drawing he had done at home. We had been learning about Van Gogh and doing art projects related to that. This boy came from a poor family that loved NASCAR and car racing. Sometimes on my way home I would pass his trailer home and see a car jacked up being worked on by his Dad frequently. The drawing he came in with was a wonderful souped up race car with the most beautiful sketch of Starry Night on the side of the race car. I know if he ever becomes a race car driver I will have arrived as a teacher when I see Van Gogh's Starry night speeding by at the Indy Race Track!

The Scream by Munch in Carrots

This site will take you to Munch in Carrots.

Remember it is clickable in righthand column under webstites of interest.

http://www.oddee.com/item_96575.aspx

What a halloween stew this would make!!!

Mona in Veggie's

Mona in Veggies

http://www.oddee.com/item_96575.aspx

Van Gogh in Leek!

http://artroommelody.com/five-artist-inspired-halloween-costumes/

Check this site out for some neat recreations of famous art work in vegetables!

The picture of Van Gogh is done with the leeks.

Dressing up as a famous artist for Halloween

Here is an interesting site about dressing up as a famous artist for halloween. Enjoy, remember it is clickable in the right hand column Websites of interest.

http://artroommelody.com/five-artist-inspired-halloween-costumes/

Happy Halloween to all

Leonardo Da Vinci, the dog, wants to wish you a Happy Halloween!

This is actually a Mardi Gras outfit from New Orleans.

Vinci is a rescue boy found wandering 4 years ago on a four lane highway. After three people cared for him, he found his way to my heart. His second year he ruptured a disk in his back and was paralyzed for a month after his surgery. We thought we would have to get him wheels to get about. But he now walks and runs with a limp, but he does fine.

I am was an art teacher, hence the name, Da Vinci. I can say he is an art dog, sitting in my lap in the studio and always my constant companion.

Halloween is not celebrated in every culture, but I am not sure which countries do and which countries don't participate. Some people think is fun and others see if as suspicious. I think it is a chance to be creative, to use one's imagination. Tonight my neighborhood will be inundated with hoard of treaters from all one the city. We are one of those neighborhood's that people think there is good booty!

For today I will post a picture of Leonardo Da Vinci in costume. My dog, Da Vinci, in costume. I would love to know if your country does celebrate Halloween and if so, how. Look forward to you feed back. If you have trouble leaving a comment, the email me at rabbits5@aol.com

Join today for a unique look at art and the artistic process/new post daily

Who is the Artist?

Who is the Artist?

This is a detail piece of a well known work. Who is the artist? Put your guesses in the comment section and I will email you and tell you if you are correct?

Hint this artist is still alive and he was recently beaten up in Amsterdam.

Where in the World?

Here is another for the Where in the world puzzle. Where is this picture taken?

One hint: Habla Espanol? Que ciudad?

Where in the World?

Where are we? Where do you think this picture was taken?

Another bit of fun...where are we.

If you are really good at visual cues you will get this one easily.

Put your answers in the comment section and I will tell you if you are correct.

Who is the Artist?

Who is the Artist?

Just for fun for all of you artist and art appreciators out there. Can you identify the artist. If so put your guess under the comment section and I will tell you if you are correct.

a hint: the artist is not living now.

Dubai, Contemporary Art Scene

Here is a new website for us all to learn more about the United Arab Emirates and their art scene. This is a home page for contemporary art in Dubai.

http://www.artdubai.ae/

It is in clickable form in the right hand column websites of interest. I am hoping this will be helpful to you on this site. You can go to any number of museums, galleries, or artists site just by accessing this blog and going to the websites of interest. The aim of our blog is to be helpful and useful to all in the arts. If you have a website you would like to see me add, just list it in the comment section or email rabbits5@aol.com. We will be happy to accommodate you. We are sharing a world of art and artist.

Welcome United Arab Emirates

Welcome United Arab Emirates! It is so nice to have you join us! We look forward to sharing art and culture.

Rabbit's Moon studio: New Work/Raku

Rabbit's Moon studio: New Work/Raku: Raku Sculptured Pot This is my newest Raku piece. Last Wednesday we fired up the raku kiln. It is much more pleasant now the weather is c...

New Work/Raku

Raku Sculptured Pot

This is my newest Raku piece. Last Wednesday we fired up the raku kiln. It is much more pleasant now the weather is cooler. There is nothing much hotter than doing raku in Florida in the summer! If you think collage, a piece of clay here, a stamped section there, and then shaped as if a sculpture that is how I approach my pottery. The glazes used are a sagent green which bring out coppers and gold tones and a white crackle for contrast. The areas left unglazed turn black in the oxygen reduction process of the firing. This is not a huge piece as it may look in the photo, it is a small piece, but oh so sweet.

I love making areas that are like emblems or patches, then adding them on to the surface of the pot. I like texture working against texture, and marked contrast. I am not a potter as such, I am an mixed media artist learning about pottery and glass fusion. I am learning how to bring these experiences back to my mixed media world. I am also allowing myself to just relax and try something totally different...not worrying about anything, but enjoying the media and seeing what it will do if I approach it without rules or expectations. I just want to experiment and play and break the rules...fresh eyes, new approach, discoveries along the way.

I make my own stamps out of clay. I try to keep making them and have a number waiting for my use at any one time. There are many versions of stamps. The can be small single stamps, they can be cylinders that roll, or curved rectangles that rock back and forth. Texture mats are very helpful as well. The wave portion on the section above is done by a texture mat.

Creating Your Own Push Molds

As you know I am mainly a fine artist and the mere mention of molds makes me think of patterns, stencils, and other things not created by oneself. But when our teacher Kathy mentioned using found objects to push into clay to make your own molds, she had my attention. If I can make it or design it myself then I am fine. These were projects one group was making using push molds made with a variety of texture mats and objects. As long as an object has a very high relief, and is fairly firm you can use it for a push mold. Just push it down into a piece of clay, bisque fire the piece and next time you are ready to make a mold of you own design. I have one art piece that I made my own molds for using real cowboy boots. Instead of clay I pushed them into plaster of Paris I had poured into a wooden box frame. Then I made a reverse mold. I put the boots in a raku firing and mounted them on an old rusted ironing board. The piece was called line dancing, it came out very well.

Puzzle Pottery

In glass this past Wednesday Kathy, one of our new students, brought in a piece she had started at home. The construction is really interesting and applicable for all kinds of projects in clay. It is a unique building base that could be used with smaller sections or very large sculptural pieces. I could see a wide range of possibilities with this base idea. Each section slides into the other, it is not glued and may be disassembled at any time.

Kathy called her work doodling, the art on the sides, and was very humble about it. But she should not be, she has shared a wonderful idea and technique with the class and now to you. I can see small chidden in art classes doing wonderful projects with this. It would appeal to them because it is like leggo's building blocks.

Kathy is a retied emergency room nurse. You can tell by her demeanor she was excellent. She is a wonderful person who is tender hearted and kind, but pretends she isn't. She is really wonderful lady. All of the group she comes with drives from North Tampa down for class. Most of them smoke, since there is no smoking allowed in the studio, they step outside to smoke. They call it checking the weather. We are going out to check the weather. They are a fun bunch!

Orlando Gem and Jewelry show Today

Today is the Orlando Gem and Jewelry Show. It is a three day show that is so large it takes a day to truly see it all. Orlando is about an hour and a half form Tampa. It is a rainy day here, so it should be a slow drive. We will say hello to Micky Mouse on the way as we pass Disney World and all the myriad of theme parks that make up a large part of Orlando.

This is where I can find bales, sterling earring loops, and cords for my fused glass work. I will take lots of photo's to share with you and talk to the booth vendors as well. You will be amazed at the size as I was. It is a wholesale show, so you can go broke saving money!

Shop owners, gem buyers all the way from emeralds to diamonds, people from all over the world are there selling there gems, jewelry or supplies. It is exciting and fun. It is eye candy all over the place. Last year I could hardly restrain myself form saving lots of money...interpretation I could hardly restrain myself from spending lots of money!!!!

Thoughts on the Healing Nature of Art

Glass and Clay class are always on wednesdays for me. For two years I have looked forward to the oasis of friendship and creativity while I was coping with three major illnesses. Some days just getting out of bed, and getting there three blocks away, sitting through a class was major achievement. As I listed to the laughter and companionship of the group, it became a magnate of positivism for me. Art has healed me in so many ways and places in my life.

Crafts were never my world, I have always been a fine artist. It is my university training, my career, and my major art work. But, from these people in my class and trying something new, that I had an antipathy towards, I have opened my world to a larger universe. I appreciate craft and those who are skilled in perfecting a technique with persistence and study. For me creativity rules and I am open to the all media and not perfecting one skill. For me art is intellectual thinking, discovery, experimentation, and creation.

I look at my fellow classmates in glass and clay and see their joy in creation and learning a new skill. I see art moving in peoples lives and adding to it. I am a peace with that. I think in art appreciation of each others world is important. Not everyone will become a famous artist, not everyone will become a gallery showing craftsperson, not everyone will have an installation at the MOMA, but we can all be encompassed by the large umbrella of art and creation. If you love realism is it necessary to think modern art is stupid and for the unskilled? If you are a fine artist is it necessary to look down at crafts. I would say understanding would be of help to both views. Whenever anyone criticizes modern art, as a university trained artist, it shows a lack of education to me. When an artist can't accept any thing but realism because they are skilled at representational art, it tells me they need to open their minds a bit. It is not necessary to reject something to make ourselves feel better or more superior about what we do in our own art. I am speaking from as a recovering art snob. Lets all be more understanding, more welcoming of all art and artists. Art makes the world a better place, a more peaceful place, and a place where people can be uplifted not trod down!

Welcome Latvia!!!

Welcome Latvia!!!!

Here is a list of Latvian gallery Artists, lets learn about all the artist of the world!

http://www.gallery.lv/Latart/

(clickable under websites of interest-far right hand column)

Science and Art/Joseph Albers

Ah, the creative process is the same secret in science as it is in art. They are all the same absolutely.

Josef Albers

I had the wonderful opportunity to hear Josef Albers speak when I was a university student. The university was relatively new with a wonderful art department made up of professors who had come from many art programs across the country. It was an exciting time to be there with new teachers, a new program, and a new university. Joseph Albers had been invited to talk to the art students. It was an intimate setting in a small lecture room. There Joseph Albers talked about color in a way I had never heard before. He showed many slides of his work and talked about how colors influence each other. He talked about the science of color and I was mesmerized. I loved science and remembered memorizing the scientific method in school. Later I realized it was the artist process as well. My Mother was a science teacher and taught us a love of nature and science. Science is experimentation, so is art. Science is discovery, so is art. Science is divergent and convergent thinking, so is art. There are many ways they are the same as Albers says.

Look at This-We are World Wide!!!

Thought you would like to see our list of countries Rabbit's Moon Studio Blog is reaching! It is so wonderful to have all be a part of sharing art worldwide. Each one of you have made this a very successful blog by your support. Thank you all so much! United Kingdom (GB) Netherlands (NL) France (FR) Spain (ES) Bulgaria (BG) Canada (CA) India (IN) South Africa (ZA) Italy (IT) Czech Republic (CZ) Germany (DE) Greece (GR) Serbia (RS) Australia (AU) Vietnam (VN) Turkey (TR) Singapore (SG Brazil (BR Romania (RO) Belgium (BE) Georgia (GE) New Zealand (NZ) Hong Kong (HK) Chile (CL) Taiwan (TW Egypt (EG) Israel (I Japan (JP) Denmark (DK) Finland (FI Russian Federation (RU) Norway (NO) Sweden (SE) Belarus (BY) Peru (PE) Iran, Islamic Republic of (IR) Indonesia (ID) Thailand (TH) Morocco (MA) Falkland Islands (Malvinas) (FK) Slovakia (SK) Hungary (HU) Argentina (AR) Poland (PL)