Floral Diversity: i-Flowers For Your Garden: Indian Blanket, Indian Pink, and the Iris

Indian Blanket, Indian Pink, and the Iris are three (3) flowers that you will love. 

You will love the Indian Blanket and Indian Pink because of their glorious colors.  Indian Blanket (Gaillardia pulchella) and Indian Pink (Spigelia marilandica) are considered wildflowers, but they are different species with distinct characteristics:

• Indian Blanket is a bright, colorful wildflower found in prairies, meadows, and open fields. It has red, yellow, or orange petals and is commonly found across the southern U.S. It’s also known as the Blanket Flower.

• Indian Pink is a striking wildflower with tubular red flowers and yellow tips. It is native to the eastern U.S., typically growing in woodland areas. It is also known as Maryland Pink.

The scientific names for Indian Blanket are Gaillardia pulchella, and for Indian Pink, Spigelia marilandica.  I can see why the common name includes the word “Indian” because the bright colors do remind me of clothing worn by Native American Indians. Both are spectacular red and yellow.  They are beautiful wildflowers, but they have different growth habits and appearances.

The Indian Blanket flower is a wildflower that grows all over North and South America. 

If you live on either of these 2 continents, chances are you've seen this flower, but you didn't know the name. Other names for this flower are Fire Wheel and Sundance. Native Americans dry them and use them for medicinal teas. Here is a cool, fun fact: Gaillardia is the official flower of the state of Oklahoma. I've never been to Oklahoma. But I live in Texas, and the folks here like the flower so much that they chose the colors as the official school colors for Texas State University.

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The Indian Pink is a wildflower that grows in the greater southeastern United States (from Florida up to New Jersey and over as far as Texas).

It has other names like Little Redhead or Pinkroot. Newbie gardeners probably like them because they are perennials, grow in the shade, and are pollinated by hummingbirds. However, there have been many complaints that the flower is disappearing due to overharvesting. Like most wildflowers, this flower has medicinal properties. People use it to get rid of the roundworm and tapeworm. But it also contains tannin, which can be used for what seems like “anti” everything! Antibacterial, anticancer, antihypertensive, antioxidant, antitumor, antiulcer, antiviral, etc. It's even anti-HIV. Some Native American tribes use it in ceremonies to induce visions and foretell the future because it has hallucinogenic properties. Experienced herbalists warn that an incorrect dosage of medicines made from Indian Pink could have deadly consequences.

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When I say Iris, you say Which color?

This is a beautiful spring flower that grows in pale blue, mauve, pink, yellow, and blue-violet (what I call purple). All are gorgeous! But I fancy the purple ones.

Irises in Mythology: “According to Greek mythology, when the gods wanted to communicate with mortals on earth they sent a messenger. The messenger was a goddess who, with golden wings, traveled to earth on a rainbow. Legend has it that wherever this goddess set foot on earth, colorful flowers sprung up. The goddess in question was Iris, and the flowers that were said to grow where she set foot bear her name.” (Quote Source: “Iris: A Brief History”)

Irises in Art: Vincent Van Gogh loved painting Irises. Guess what! He started painting them while he was in an asylum. Van Gogh had problems. But at least he did try to get help for himself. After all, he committed himself to the asylum. While he was there, could there be any better mental therapy than painting Irises? I wonder. Did he need a psychiatrist, or did he just need a place to get away? Only Van Gogh knows for sure. 

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Irises have been used for both health and beauty purposes. It was used to cure dropsy and also to remove freckles. 

I'll conclude with these 2 fun facts.

(1) In America, the iris is the state flower of Tennessee.

(2) In France, the iris is the national emblem, and it is known as the "fleur-de-lis" or flower of Louis, in honor of the kings of France.

Original source

Artists I Fancy: Impressionist Painters: Monet and Others

A brief introduction to artists, Claude Monet and others, who made such a lasting impression, reproductions of their original works adorn many homes and offices. Through his persistence Monet's paintings gained the recognition they deserve and he opened the door for fellow artists.


The letter "i" stands for "I'm impressed."


The term “impressionism” was first used in 1874, and its initial usage was not very complimentary. A critic was making a sarcastic remark about one of Monet's landscape paintings. Not allowing an unfavorable judgment to cramp his style, Claude Monet (1840 – 1926), working with Pierre Auguste Renoir (1841 – 1919), developed the technique of broken-color painting. These two artists are recognized as the founders of the art form known as Impressionism.

Others who were also a part of the group known as impressionist painters include: Édouard Manet (1832 – 1883), Jacob Camille Pissarro (1831 – 1903), Paul Cézanne (1839 – 1906), and Edgar Hilaire Germain Degas (1834 – 1917).

Monet and Renoir
Plus The Others

An art aficionado, I am not. But like most people, my attention can easily be captured by an impressive painting. The artwork of Claude Monet has always impressed me. However, it appears that Monsieur Monet had to work arduously at developing a fan base who appreciated his art. Of course, Auguste Renoir painted female nudes. Not that he wasn't a great artist because his subjects were bare naked ladies. But gathering appreciative admirers was not as difficult. Nevertheless, through his persistence Monet's paintings have gained the recognition they deserve and there are many of today's artists who will readily admit that their art style has been influenced by the work of Claude Monet.


As all of the impressionist painters named are already well known, there is a wealth of information about them that can be found online. Since they are no longer with us, there is nothing substantial left to be added (unless authentic secret diaries or original works stashed in someone's attic are discovered). Below are links to condensed biographies of each artist which serve as an excellent introduction should you wish to know more about them.



The ArtStory.org published a biographical snap-shot of:

• Claude Monet (1840 – 1926);
• Édouard Manet (1832 – 1883); and
• Edgar Hilaire Germain Degas (1834 – 1917).

For the biography of Pierre Auguste Renoir, visit notablebiographies.com.

A wonderful presentation of the life of Jacob Camille Pissarro (1831 – 1903) can be found at impressionniste.net.

PBS.org provided an introduction to the life of Paul Cézanne (1839 – 1906) for the program which aired July 2006 entitled Cézanne in Provence.

If interested, artcyclopedia.com is an online database where the artwork of thousands of artists can be viewed freely.

Image:  Autograph of the painter Claude Monet (Photo credit: Wikipedia

Claude Monet, 1840-1926 (Basic Art Album)

Link to original article at wizzley.com: Impressionist Painters

Related articles

• today's birthday: Claude Monet (1840) (euzicasa.wordpress.com)
• ' Swiss Museum Says They Will Accept Gurlitts Trove of 1,000 Artworks Hoarded by Nazi's ' (acenewsservices.com)
• Big Art For Little Kids (boredpanda.com)
• Bordeaux ~ Impressionist Alfred Smith ~ partie onze (wine-blog.org)
• Less hate. More Monet. (mollybandme.com)
• Daubigny, Monet, Van Gogh on view at Scottish National Gallery (panarmenian.net)

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Artists I Fancy: Bernard Stanley Hoyes ~ Virily.com

Thank you for visiting.  This content has been moved to Virily.com.  See link below.

Velvet Spirit (edition 999) by Bernard Stanley Hoyes

Buy on https://amzn.to/2zek1e7

Artists I Fancy: Kim Kyoung Hwan

Incredibly amazing doesn't even begin to describe this gifted individual.  Magnificent is even an understatement.  See for yourself!

Spotlight on South Korean artist Kim Kyoung Hwan, freelance concept artist and illustrator, digital illustrator, fantasy art, etc.

http://daftsoul.tumblr.com/post/146637411670/kyoung-hwan-kim

More by this fantastic artist Kyoung Hwan Kim dba Tahra Art at ArtStation. Love the cat!!  Also view her gallery on DeviantArt.

 

Tahra art2 cover by tahra on DeviantArt

Artbook of Kyoung Hwan Kim

My Introduction to Cuban Art

One of my first jobs after graduating from the University of Miami was a teller at a savings and loan institution. Had a degree but couldn't find a job right away and accepted this job because some income is better than no income. Each teller had a number. You used your stamp - on checks, deposit and withdrawal slips, etc. - to leave a trail for the auditors that you had handled that customer's transaction. Teller 63. That was me!

One of my co-workers, another teller, was a young guy working his way through college. He had come to America from Cuba with the first set of refugees that President John Kennedy had allowed into Miami , Florida.

Can't remember the name, but he was showing me artwork by a Cuban artist who was very famous and known for his paintings of everyday life in Cuba. Everyday life, that is, before Fidel Castro took over.  So the painting was a wonderful lively scene - beautiful blue water and clear blue sky, trees, beautiful flowers, all kinds of colorful people - men , women and children, engaging in either work or play.

"Look!", he says and points at a beautiful woman walking down the sidewalk and men turning to stare as she strolls with her nose up in the air.

"You see her backside?", he asked.

I reply, "Yes! Yes I do!"

(You could hardly miss her lovely "lady lump". :) He continues to explain the art: "This painting is so typical Cuban. Cuban men love the big butt! Americans do not like this! But in our culture, it is considered beautiful!! Americans think skinny is beautiful. But Cuban men do not like skinny women!"

The conversation between Jorge and me was very memorable, educational and also humorous. His final remarks really made me laugh, as he's looking right at me, and speaking very plainly and seemed to take no thought that he was talking to me - a Black American woman - about big butts!!!

That was my first lesson about Cuban artists and Cuban art.

(Truly apologize.  My memory fails me. Forgot the name of the particular artist.)

Link of interest:

Profiles of over 60 of Cuba´s best artists

Content previously published at PersonaPaper, Mar 2015.

My Best of Halloween Posts on G+ - Anime Art Fans

Sharing cool Halloween anime art found on Google Plus. If you have time hope you check out some of my posts celebrating this fun and spooky holiday. Stay safe!

Happy Halloween! Thanks for stopping by!
Hope you're having a great day!

glitter-graphics.com

Top 10 Artists in February | ArtFinder.com (Update Aug 2017)

Each month, this site features their top selling artists.  This post links to the notification received via eMail for the best artists for February 2014.

Top 10 Artists in February | ArtFinder.com

I receive notifications via eMail.  Of the Top Ten, Helen Wells is the artist I fancy.  The image below is called “Happy”.  Isn’t it lovely?  It has been added to my Pinterest board collection of ARTISTS I FANCY.  To date, my board has over 100 pins.  I’m taking my time finding the artwork.  What’s the rush?  It’s like a pleasant eternal afternoon spent walking around an art museum.  My first visit to our nation’s capital, Washington, D.C. and to New York, New York, I made it my mission to visit art museums or galleries.  These days, I don’t get out much.  But via the Internet, I let my imagination take me wherever.

• Direct link to the Shop of Helen Wells

  • Like Helen Wells, Artist on Facebook 

ArtFinder.com fancies their site as an “affordable art marketplace”, a great place for shopping, where you can buy direct from independent artists and galleries.  To date they boast over 2000 artists from 60 countries.

UPDATE:  Reported on this marvelous art find in 2014.  Fast forward to 2017.  Found another captivating artist.  Gordon Bruce, based in the UK.  Shared info about him at my other blog "Joie de Vivre Magazine".  His artwork is also available at Zazzle.  (See below.)  Enjoy!

Chinese lanterns Winter landscape Gordon Bruce
by gordonbruce

Northern lights aurora borealis painting poster
by gordonbruce

Native American Female Artist: Betty Albert

It is wonderful to learn about your background and ancestry, but we must always remind ourselves that none of us would have a heritage were it not for our mothers.


Two selected pieces below are the stunning artwork of Betty "Wabinmeguil" Albert-Lincez, who was adopted by French Canadians but came to learn that she was Cree.  She still resides in Canada and is listed among the Canadian Women of Achievement.  Her artwork captures the Native American journey.  In my mind, these posters honor the women of the Indian nations.  

FYI.  She's on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/Wabimeguil/





Evening Star Woman




Three Sisters

All kinds of wonderful art for sale at AllPosters.com and Art.com

Related articles

• Genetic portrait of the English-speaking world
• Native Americans - My Tribute
• The Early Rainbow Coalition

Like to read autobiographies or biographies to glean inspiration?

Like to read autobiographies or biographies? Reading about the lives of other people has always been a source of inspiration for me and no doubt it is the same way for other people too. In fact, if a person is suffering from depression one of the suggested activities to uplift their spirit and pull them out of the dark black hole is reading life stories. Not trying to sound corny but we are all ordinary people and it is encouraging to know that the majority of us endure the same trials and tribulations and most of us overcome or rise above our difficulties and get on with our lives.

But clearly you do not have to be depressed to draw motivation from reading about the achievements of someone else. For one of my friends it was the life of Malcolm X. The first biography which influenced my life was about Sammy Davis Jr. It was titled Yes I Can. (I could just kick myself for not keeping the book as it is now considered a collectible. He also published a sequel called Why Me?) The first autobiography written by Mr. Davis is also the book that peaked my curiosity and got me interested in reading more and more biographies about anybody – celebrities, men and women in history, people in political circles, etc. Turned this fascination into a hobby and created a Pinterest board called BIO-Snapshots, a collection of trivia, information and articles about people. Some of my most recent pins link to mini-bios of: Nora Baker, Robert Smalls, and Huma Abedin.

Do you get inspired by reading
biographical accounts or personal memoirs?

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Suggested Reads (press play to view)

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The Pack – Art Print Poster
David Cowles
Available at AllPosters.com
and Amazon.com

• David Cowles is a full-time freelance illustrator whose work has appeared in such publications as: Rolling Stone, Newsweek, Fortune, The Boston Globe, The Chicago Tribune, and The New York Times. One does not have to convince others that this guy has tremendous talent. If you see an art piece like “The Pack”, you know want to go see some of his other stuff!

David Cowles – Art Posters and Prints

 

Please Visit MSC Home Sites

My Shopping Channel

My Other Shopping Channel

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Artists I Fancy: Alfred Gockel

Alfred Alexander Gockel may have many moods, but I like his "shades".

I ♥ Alfred Gockel Shades of Love.

Shades of Love: Lavender

Shades of Love: Cherry

The art of Alfred Gockel is available at AllPosters.com and Art.com.

Good Fortune: Okyo's Cranes Now on View | Unframed (Reblog)

Good fortune and longevity? Every culture should and probably does have something that symbolizes this. In Japan it's the crane. Would be interesting to research the symbols of other countries. Or ... ??? Maybe we could ask Robert Langdon. :) Jokes aside, click the link because this artwork is exquisite!

 

" ... Maruyama Okyo (1733–95), a painter who revolutionized the practice and taught or influenced generations of Japanese painters."

Good Fortune: Okyo's Cranes Now on View | Unframed

(NOTE: At the time of the posting the paintings were on exhibit; not at the time of this reblogging.)

The Okyo artwork motivated me to search for more pictures, photos, and illustrations of cranes. Found this beautiful photograph of Grey Crowned Cranes and wanted to share it.

Related articles

• Review: 'Miss Hokusai' adds visually adventurous and emotional notes to Japanese history(stripes.com)

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• Top 10 Most Famous Painters(thetoptens.com)

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• Yosa Buson: A Japan-China relationship that works(japantimes.co.jp)

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• Impressionist Painters: Monet and Others(cmoneyspinner.blogspot.com)

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Fairy and Fantasy Art of Molly Harrison | WebNuggetz.com

Thank you for visiting. This content has been republished via my shopping blog: 
 Go Shopping Bees.

It's 2015 and Beyond! Cuban Art is Booming!

In a previous post, shared a cherished personal memory at this site and titled it My Introduction to Cuban Art. It was humorous but this post is serious.
 

Almost every evening, our PBS station (Public Broadcasting Service) airs the news hour and many parts of the program are special segments. Very recently, President Obama upset quite a few people when he announced his plans to strive to normalize relations between the USA and Cuba. Whether people agree or disagree, it's happening . PBS' special segment is a series called “The Cuban Evolution”. My antennas went up when it was announced that there was to be a discussion of the current art scene in Cuba. Jeffrey Brown, Chief Correspondent for Arts, Culture, and Society , is the lucky bloke who gets to travel to Cuba on official business to cover the series. Here are some of the highlights from the segment:

• Havana Biennial Art Show is taking place (promotes “Third World” contemporary art)
  
• Cuban art market is booming and Cuban artists are making a mark on the international art scene
  
• There are still some restrictions on freedom of expression – nevertheless ...
  
• Savvy art collectors are buying now because the value of their collections is sure to increase in the near future
  

You can watch the entire report on the PBS YouTube Channel . For me this news is exciting. The Cuban culture is so wonderfully colorful and vibrant. The people have been suppressed for way too long!


Interesting Reading and Links of Interest:

• “ La Espada de Rusia" (the Russian sword) – A Reminder of Cuba's Ties to the Soviet Union
  
• Internet Access in Cuba is “Complicated”
  
• Guide to Cuba's Best Contemporary Artists, etc.
  

Cuba50 Celebrating Cuban Culture

Content previously published at PersonaPaper, June 2015.
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Related articles

• Kremlin hails restoration of good-neighborly relations between US, Cuba(in.rbth.com)

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• USA-Cuba: the winds of change(euronews.com)

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• Cuban Refugees Flood Into Texas During Obama's Castro Visit(thedailysheeple.com)

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• A Foodie's Guide to Latin American Cuisine in Miami(latinpost.com)

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• The Directory of Afro-Cuban Women(repeatingislands.com)

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