Settled in the Maritimes of Canada, surrounded by the forest and Acadian Mountain Chain, I live a simple life of gratitude. This blog is a journal of my art, food, furkids, garden, home, my life and my thoughts. Thanks for reading!
Welcome to Thursday's Art Date, today our theme is Tragedies and Melodramas. This is our last film theme and I hope you enjoyed it, and was inspired and challenged! It was a lot of fun for me. Bugs Bunny is very serious in his portrayal of Laurence Olivier playing Hamlet.
Hamlet is my favourite of Shakespeare's tragedies. I've watched many versions of this play and based on acting ability alone, my favourite Hamlet was Mel Gibson (charcoals). I know he's a controversial person, but his Hamlet was brilliant. I did a minor in English Literature at University and my main focus was Shakespeare's tragedies.
Macbeth was another favourite. I actually saw Macbeth on stage in Stratford Ontario back in the 1980's. Oh it was amazing! This is my ink and graphite sketch of Toshiro Mifune. Japanese director Akira Kurosawa was best known for his Samurai films and he worked often with Toshiro. This is from the movie Throne of Blood which is a version of Macbeth. It's so well done, I'm a big fan of Samurai movies.
Besides the stage version and the Samurai version, my favourite film version of Macbeth was directed by Orson Welles, he also played the lead. Here is the full movie on You Tube.
From tragedy to melodrama. I dipped into my Film Noir favourites for my next two pieces. This is Richard Widmark from Night And The City. I know I keep saying this, but really this is one of my favourite Film Noir films...it is very dramatic and the main character is tragically doomed. He's the anti-hero, which makes you hate him, then root for him in the end - brilliant acting! And I'm a wrestling fan, so any movie that has wrestling in it makes me happy!
Here is the official trailer. For now at least, you can find a great quality version of the movie on You Tube, here is the link.
Last but not least, an ink and graphite sketch of Jackie Gleason and Anthony Quinn from the movie Requiem For A Heavyweight. It's a sad and dramatic story of a washed up boxer (Quinn) whose agent (Gleason) badly matches him with a young, strong boxer (played by a young Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali)); and the resulting end of his career. I fell in love with Anthony Quinn in this movie! And I really didn't like Jackie Gleason's role at all...but that's what makes him such a good actor. I think of Jackie Gleason as Ralph Kramden from the Honeymooners...he played a very dramatic role in this movie. I love when comedians turn to dramatic roles, they are usually quite good at it!
There is another similar tragedy if you're into pro-wrestling and modern movies. It's The Wrestler starring Mickey Rourke. It's a sad movie based on the life of real pro-wrestlers. A little racy because Marisa Tomei plays a stripper. It's very heartbreaking if you're into dramas!
I've been doing a lot of walking outside and I filmed a little video to show you where I live. I love my rural life!
On the food front, my 53rd 39th birthday was last week and Alex made the day very special. I asked for a cheese fondue but he went all out. He made a Swiss cheese fondue with grilled cheese bites and fries for dipping! And for dessert he made chocolate mousse and Irish coffees. He lit a fire and it was a very special night!
There is no sign of Mr. and Mrs. Woodpecker, nor the Mourning Doves...but the Evening Grosbeaks are back! Don't mind the temperature, it's really not that balmy out lol...it's just because the camera is in direct sunlight! I could go out there and sunbathe in the snow if I wanted to!
Chickadees in flight.
Hello Redpole! And I think I have a few Pine Siskins...this one has pretty good hang time! 😊
I'm linking up with these wonderful bloggers today, please visit them for some really interesting posts! And why not join in on the link parties? You can meet some really nice people!! 😊
That's all for now folks! Please check out the link gadget below to see more Tragedies and Melodramas artwork!
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March 4th: Next Thursday's theme is Creases. Click on the link for ideas and inspiration! Remember it's all about creating. You can showcase your paintings, drawings, photography, sculpting, baking, poetry...whatever you like! 🎨
Thursday Art Date With Rain. Click on the link for a description of the art date as well as a list of upcoming themes.
Don't forget to add the URL link to your post (not your blog) to the link gadget below to share your wonderful creations! Please revisit to make sure you don't miss those who join in a little late! Also, if anyone adds a link that has nothing to do with the art date theme, it will be removed! The link gadget expires Friday at midnight (EST).
Welcome to Thursday's Art Date, today our theme is Comedies. I'm more of a suspense/thriller film lover but I definitely love a good laugh! Bugs Bunny wanted to pose for his favourite comedy trilogy: Austin Powers International Man of Mystery. I think Mike Myers is really funny and I love those three movies.
I think a lot of the "modern" comedians rely too heavily on cursing to get laughs, I guess that's why I lean more towards older comedies. Here is my ink and graphite drawing of Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau from The Odd Couple. The entire cast in this movie was hilarious, but Jack Lemmon stood out for me as the funniest! Tony Randall and Jack Klugman starred in the tv show, which was also pretty funny.
John Candy in charcoal. He was such a loveable comedian and I enjoyed most of his movies. I was so sad when he died! If you're a fan of his, the CBC put out a documentary called To John With Love. It's very heartfelt and you can find it on You Tube. Here is the link. There are 5 parts and they play automatically.
John Candy was part of a sketch comedy show in Canada called SCTV. It played in the late 70's and 80's. It was a cast of greats and I remember staying up late and watching it every Friday night at 12:30am.
This is John Candy, Joe Flaherty and Eugene Levy, drawn in ink and graphite. Joe Flaherty, who was the main writer on SCTV, played Count Floyd, the weekly host of "Monster Chiller Horror Theater". John Candy played Dr. Tongue and Eugene Levy played his Igor-like servant, Bruno.
Dr. Tongue fancied himself a 3-D actor, and his take on 3-D movies is hilarious.
For those SCTV fans out there, here is a 1:48 clip of "Dr. Tongue's Evil House of Pancakes". SCTV's comedy, at least for me, was genius! Second City (the "SC" in SCTV) was a comedy troop based out of Toronto in Canada, and Chicago in the States. It produced such great comedians as John Candy, Dan Ackroyd, Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, Gilda Radner, the Belushi brothers, Andrea Martin, Martin Short...the list goes on!
I'm a fan of slapstick, and nobody did slapstick better than the Three Stooges! My favourite Stooge was Shemp 😊. You can find most of the Three Stooges shorts on You Tube. I've read all of their biographies and watched all of the movies and documentaries about them! Shemp was a hyper-phobic and led a life filled with anxiety and fear - though you wouldn't know it from his shorts and movies. I guess that's why I love to read biographies of my favourites, I can relate to them more when I know about them personally.
This was a fun theme...I won't keep you much longer, just wanted to show you my Valentine's dinner and dessert! We had a Raclette dinner - who doesn't love melted cheese on veggies?
For dessert, I bit off more than I could chew (so to speak!). I made a Heart Log Roll Cake. It was DELICIOUS, but SO many steps...One of these days I will post the recipe!
One night last week I tried Vegetarian Meatballs for my Pizzaghetti. Yum! (Again, I'll post the recipe for the "meat"balls soon!)
Last night I made potato/egg filled fajitas.
For my birding friends, I have not found the time to put the "bird" cam back up, so here's a photo I took when I lived on Prince Edward Island back in 2010. It's a Heron, not sure if it's a Blue or a Great. These birds are so prehistoric looking, always so fascinating!
Charlie and Oscar
The pets are all healthy again, except Marlene. She is slowing down very quickly. She is now in diapers and not very interested in eating too much. She sleeps a lot. She has trouble standing on her hind legs. She still has a puppy-like spirit and romps around as best she can in the snow when I take her out. I'm making sure to take good care of her and make her feel safe and loved as she winds down her life. It's heart-breaking! 😢 We rescued her in 2015 from a bad situation and don't really know her age, though the estimate is maybe 14 or 15. We gave her the forever home that every dog dreams of...I'm hoping we still have lots of time with her!
I'm linking up with these wonderful bloggers today, please visit them for some really interesting posts! And why not join in on the link parties? You can meet some really nice people!! 😊
That's all for now folks! Please check out the link gadget below to see more Comedies artwork!
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Charcoal from 2020
February 25th: Next Thursday's theme is February Films - Tragedies and Melodramas. Click on the link for ideas and inspiration! Remember it's all about creating. You can showcase your paintings, drawings, photography, sculpting, baking, poetry...whatever you like! 🎨
Thursday Art Date With Rain. Click on the link for a description of the art date as well as a list of upcoming themes.
Don't forget to add the URL link to your post (not your blog) to the link gadget below to share your wonderful creations! Please revisit to make sure you don't miss those who join in a little late! Also, if anyone adds a link that has nothing to do with the art date theme, it will be removed! The link gadget expires Friday at midnight (EST).
Hello Friends!! 😊😊 (Linky Widget is open until Friday around midnight EST!!)
Power is back, internet is restored and I can finally upload my photos!! So...welcome to Thursday's Art Date, today our theme is Film Noir. I love this genre of film so much. There is always a lot of suspense, thrill, drama and of course, a Femme Fatale who, according to the dictionary, is an attractive and seductive woman, especially one who is likely to cause distress or disaster to a man who becomes involved with her.
One such woman was Barbara Stanwyck in the movie Double Indemnity. She's an amazing actress, very strong and powerful. She also starred in Sorry Wrong Number. Now, Bugs Bunny decided to pose in Fred MacMurray's role for my ink and graphite drawing. Poor Mr. MacMurray fell victim to this Femme Fatale...it's a great movie, also starring Edward G. Robinson.
My favourite of Hitchcock's movies is called Rope. It's a Leopold and Loeb story, brilliantly filmed in just 10 shots/takes. Farley Granger, drawn in ink and graphite, played the less ruthless "Leopold" character. I love this movie so much that I bring the DVD into the car with me and play it on my CD player...just listening to the movie as I drive when I go shopping! Also stars James Stewart. It's chilling!
I could not omit Orson Welles for this theme! I think he was brilliant and one of my favourites of his films is called The Third Man.
It's a great mystery and thriller, also starring Joseph Cotten. He's another favourite actor who did many film noirs. He and Orson Welles worked together in Citizen Kane as well. I drew these with charcoals.
One night we were craving summer food...so I made CLT's (Cheddar, Lettuce, Tomatoes), Old Bay Cole Slaw and potato salad. It felt like a summer meal!
My trailcam pooped out with the deep freeze during the past week, likely I just need more batteries, but I got a few photos of some newcomers at the bird feeders. Mourning Doves! They are my favourite bird...I LOVE their coo's!
I took these photos through my window, so they're not too clear, but I've never seen so many. There are nine in this photo, but I counted twelve in total.
They hang out in the maple tree outside my window until the Redpoles and Chickadees start eating then they fly down to join them, interesting behaviour...maybe they're just being polite?
I'm liking up with these wonderful bloggers today, please visit them for some really interesting posts! And why not join in on the link parties? You can meet some really nice people!! 😊
That's all for now folks! Please check out the link gadget below to see more Film Noir artwork!
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February 18th: Next Thursday's theme is February Films - Comedies. Click on the link for ideas and inspiration! Remember it's all about creating. You can showcase your paintings, drawings, photography, sculpting, baking, poetry...whatever you like! 🎨
Thursday Art Date With Rain. Click on the link for a description of the art date as well as a list of upcoming themes.
Don't forget to add the URL link to your post (not your blog) to the link gadget below to share your wonderful creations! Please revisit to make sure you don't miss those who join in a little late! Also, if anyone adds a link that has nothing to do with the art date theme, it will be removed! The link gadget expires Friday at midnight (EST).
