Jenny Lynne's Journal: October 2021

Thursday, October 28, 2021

Decor: Halloween Simplified

Usually we do big decorating for Halloween, lights, costumed stuffed bears, pumpkin collection, and lots and lots of ravens. This year I've perhaps been too depressed, too tired, or too busy to pull out the boxes so I cheated. I usually keep these ravens in my glass fronted cabinet mixed in with the native pots collection. I pulled them out and put them on the mantle to give a nod to the season.

Here's the mantle:

The black bear is a hand painted ceramic that I picked up in New Mexico.

I collected these onyx sculpted ravens at various rock shops. Shanna and I both really love the little one with blue eyes.

These small pots came from a variety of sources. The two on the left are completely hand made. The one on the right is hand painted with the horsehair technique.

The stem looking object on the left is actually a ceramic vase. I bought it from a talented potter in Boise she used a log as a mold. The raven on wood is a mass produced cast resin object from a gifts shop.

And my final raven came from a craft store.

As I sit on my sofa working on needlepoint and watching tv I get to look at this collection of objects that represent autumn and Halloween the season of ravens.

Next year I'll have to bring out all of the things.

-- Jenny

Thursday, October 21, 2021

Beyond Van Gogh

10/16/21
Beyond Van Gogh
Salt Lake City, UT

My tribe: Jenny, Rachel, Joey, Shanna

I heard about Van Gogh immersive several years ago when it was being featured in an old quarry in France. I seriously thought about going to France in order to see it. Of course that wasn't a feasible idea and then coronavirus happened.

Jessica (framed in the dark) had a ticket that let her start 15 minutes after ours

A few months ago I found out it was going to be in Indiana, then I saw it was going to be in Texas and finally I found it was going to be featured in Salt Lake City!

The exhbition begins with a queue through a series of open frames and panels with a bit of the life story in both English and Spanish

Van Gogh immersive is a visual feast and emotional experience. Paintings and parts of paintings are projected on the walls and floor. My niece said that the transitions are excellent. And she was right, they are showing the paintings in new ways with movement, quotes from his letters to his brother and other sources, and color.

Starry swirls on the floor and walls (with Rachel, Joey, and Shanna)

My mother loved art. She studied art history and we had prints from Van Gogh, Picasso, Mary Cassatt, Rembrandt, and from many other artists in the house. She had many art books and if we showed any interest we would get lectures in the disguise of conversations about art.

The wonder of being in a painting

The oldest classic pieces I remember in our houses were Pinkie by Thomas Lawrence and Blue Boy by Thomas Gainsborough. But pride of place was held by Van Gogh's Starry Starry Night. In Texas she had one room covered with a gallery style installation of many of Van Gogh's prints.

I found the Beyond Van Gogh immersive experience to be awe inspiring. First the paintings are fabulous. Second the projection and transitions were sometimes playful, sometimes moving, and always wondrous. And finally, I found moments where feelings for my mother ebbed and flowed. I remembered her smile, her love of family and art, and I reverenced her memory and the many art conversations we had.

Paintings growing over other paintings