Art of the Week - Roots

Okay, I decided to go ahead and post my art for the week even though I already posted today.

Going back to the beginning this week, admiring the cave art in Lascaux.

GREAT HALL OF THE BULLS, Lascaux, France,
c. 15,000-10,000 B.C.

I greatly enjoyed taking my art history courses out of order. Totally missing Art History I and II, I started with the third class in the series, which included the Impressionists and Post-Impressionists, then the fourth class which, of course, dealt with modern art, like Picasso's cubist works. Then, the next semester I got to take Art History I, which started out with these marvelous and stunning roots of human art. I swear, Picasso must've traveled back in time ... or maybe his ancestors came from Lascaux. Or maybe the ancient world was populated with gifted people. The similarities are too close to be missed:

LA TAUROMAQUIA

Picasso, 1957

.

TAG!

Justin from "The Key of the Twilight" just tagged me, so now the spotlight has fallen and I get to answer some questions.

Here goes:
1. If you could have any superpower, what would you have? Why?
Well, there's a story behind that, I guess. My husband and I have cut our satellite package waaaay back so we can afford to do more meaningful things with that money, which means that my television options are down to shopping channels and preaching channels and a handful of sugary-sweet 50s shows channels and rude cartoon channels. Which means I choose the cartoons whenever I have a moment I need to vege out. Which means that I've become enthralled with the Avatar: The Last Airbender series. *blush* Seriously, I'm surprised by how well done it is. So with that preamble in mind, I have to go with MANIPULATION OF THE ELEMENTS. That would be so cool. Of course, with my temper, I'd probably burn down my house. "Cool" is not a very good reason, I guess, so let me say, "Wow, wouldn't my garden grow if I could pull up water from the creek and coax the plants with earth- and water-bending. And wouldn't it be great to be able to summon a wave of air that allowed me to fly to my sister's house? And, gee, the benders just look so neato doing their martial stuff. Wish I could do that.

2. Who is your style icon?
I assume this is for Wordpress people, b/c I don't have a style icon. If I do have one I just didn't know it was called that. Moving on...

3. What is your favorite quote?
Hmmm... There are so many that have had impact on me. Well, right now I have this quote in the signature of every email I send:
"When a book leaves your hands, it belongs to God. He may use it to save a few souls or to try a few others, but I think that for the writer to worry is to take over God’s business."
--Flannery O'Connor

4. What is the best compliment you’ve ever received?
From the editor of Silver Blade ezine who ran my novella in their serials last year: "You are an excellent writer." Gives me hope when something I've written is far from excellent. :D

5. What playlist/CD is in your CD player/iPod right now?
Well, which is it? I use both. On the ipod, I have "writing music" lists, depending on mood of the scene I'm writing. In the CD player I think I've got the soundtrack to Tristan and Isolde, the movie not the opera. Heartbreaking violin and piano music. Gorgeous.

6. Are you a night owl or a morning person?
Night owl, definitely. Do NOT talk to me for an hour after I wake up. It's risky. You never know if I'll be coherent or bite your head off or kiss you or all three at once. But I'll be active until midnight easily, often beyond.

7. Do you prefer dogs or cats?
CATS! I have three and while one is a complete bitch, at least she knows who's top lioness. I have to use a forklift to get my dog away from me when she's demanding attention. It doesn't help that she's a Great Pyrenees who sheds and drools when I'm eating in front of her. Oh, yes, the cats and I get along great. I understand their moodiness. They're self-cleaning, lapsized, their spit stays in their mouths, and they reduce the local population of yard-eating gophers.

8. What is the meaning behind your blog name?
Wordweaver? It's my aim as a writer to not just write words but weave them into a tapestry for the mind and senses. Now, how well I achieve this goal depends on the reader, I think. Can't please 'em all.

.

Changed It Again???

.

Well, sorta. Just one little letter makes a difference. At least to me. So the penname was "Cort," now it's "Court." The former started looking strange to me. Inelegant, like "wart" or "fart" or "stork" or "dork." Which means I now have to change so many other things, like advertising and blog banners, website details, manuscript headers. All because of u.

Damn u

.

Art and Autumn Fever

It's time for Art of the Week. I chose this week's offering because I'm so ready for Fall that it hurts. We're having an unseasonably warm, dry September, so I'm getting a little impatient for my favorite season to arrive. Here you go:




AUTUMN
by Alphonse Mucha,
my favorite Art Nouveau artist
















AUTUMN
by Russian Impressionist painter, Piotr Nilus,
1893

This one captures the chill in the air. Nearly all the leaves are gone. Autumn on the cusp of winter. November, maybe.



.

Truth or Lies Revealed...

Well, I took Nicole Murray's advice and mixed truth with falsehood on 5 of the 6 below. I said:

Truth or Lies:
1. I've been to all 50 states in the US and three European countries.
2. I was born in Fort Worth, Texas.
3. I managed to graduate with straight B's in college.
4. I married my high school sweetheart.
5. I didn't know I had a brother until I was ten years old.
6. I wouldn't be caught dead attending a Renaissance fair.

In truth,
1. I've been to only 26 states and three European countries, plus Canada and Mexico. I love to travel.
2. I was born in a dinky oil town in the Texas panhandle called Perryton.
3. I managed to graduate with all A's. Yeah, I had no social life. But graduating with honors rocked!
4. This one is true.
5. I was about 7 when I learned I had a brother. Maybe 6. One of those surreal discoveries that changed life forever.
6. I attend the fairs. I even have an expensive costume. *sigh* There, I admitted it.

.

A Letter From Lady!

.

When I studied up on correspondence with the child I sponsor, I prepared myself for the event that I wouldn't receive anything, at least not for a couple of years, when Lady would learn to write letters for herself. But today, I received an outstanding surprise: a letter written by her mother, describing Lady a little more intimately. And on the back is a picture Lady herself drew. Round-topped mountains, ducks in a lake or pond, two people walking up a path to a house or school, a sun and birds in the sky. Just the kind of thing I would expect from an intelligent three year old. But the one difference is the corn growing on the mountainside. The design might as well be carved into an Incan temple. Seeing that made her and her heritage real to me.

This goes far beyond my expectations.

But how do I even respond to something this precious? I fear that anything I write will fall far short of how I feel, or worse, that I'll sound pretentious. Well, I've got pink stationary paper with kittens sleeping all across the bottom. And now that I know that one of Lady's favorite colors is pink, I think she'll like that.

.

Two Blogger Awards! Wow...

*girly squeal* I could really get used to this. It's fun, it's frivolous, and who doesn't like awards, even if they're virtual? So to start, I'd like to thank Justin, whose blog "The Key of the Twilight" celebrates the ups and downs of writing and offers hints about a really cool world Justin is writing about. Best of luck with those stories, Justin! He awarded me the "Versatile Blogger Award":

In response, I'm supposed to

1. Thank the one who gave me this award.
2. Share seven things about myself.
3. Present this honour onto 15 newly discovered bloggers.
4. Drop by and let my fifteen new friends know I love them.

Thus,
1. I'm a coffee addict.
2. I have three cats, one very big dog, and two wild bunnies to make up for the fact that I don't have kids but still need to take care of something.
3. I help run a writing community, in which I take enormous pride.
4. I collect swords and dragons and fairies and other make-believe critters.
5. I'm terrified of spiders but like snakes.
6. I have a birthmark on my leg and like to walk barefoot in the grass and wonder, if I'd been born five centuries ago, would I have been burned as a witch?
7. I believe that I'm not the only fantasy writer dreaming of a Hugo. I.e. I like to reach for the stars.

Now to pass it on. Since this young blog has only 19 followers so far, and I'm supposed to pass this to 15 bloggers, why not pass it on to everyone of you? If you've received the award already, don't feel obliged, but if this is your first Versatile Blogger Award, take it for yourself and pass it on. I.e. if your blog is listed under the "Wonderful People" heading, then I give you this award.

***

As for the second award. Nicole Murray has awarded me the "Bold Faced Liar Award":

The Bold Face Liar Creative Writer Award requires me to:

1. Thank the person who gave you the award and link to them.
2. Add the award to your blog.
3. Tell six outrageous lies about yourself and one truth. (Another variant: Tell six truths and one outrageous lie. YOU get to guess which variant I chose – and which statements are true, as well as which are lies.)
4. Nominate six creative liars/writers and post links to them.
5. Let your nominees know that they have been nominated.

Truth or Lies:
1. I've been to all 50 states in the US and three European countries.
2. I was born in Fort Worth, Texas.
3. I managed to graduate with straight B's in college.
4. I married my high school sweetheart.
5. I didn't know I had a brother until I was ten years old.
6. I wouldn't be caught dead attending a Renaissance fair.

So, you now get to have fun guessing which are the truths, which are the lies. Hmmm... I'll post the answers in a few days.

Okay, to pass it on. I wanna hear the truths and lies of:
Brian Fatah Steele
Milo
izzey
tab
Justin
.