Arts & Crafts

 The materials for my new craft project have arrived! 

And this brilliant little gem came along as a complimentary gift:

His Wish Is My Command

When my Sweet Poopsie expresses a wish (see "Travel Penguin," Sunday, February 22, 2026 - The Sunday Five: Chickens) I do my best to fulfill it.  I pride myself on being a good and thoughtful provider. 😇

Funnies

I'm Art

David's quasi-Surrealist portrait of me is on display at the current show at the community Center.

 

More Lilies

In various stages of bloomage. 

San Antonio Souvenirs

Of course, we always bring back souvenirs from our trips, both foreign and domestic (though I prefer to think of them as tribute from subject nations).  Here's the haul from San Antonio...

 

a Mexican penguin (a very rare breed) 

a tin Christmas ornament (which I decided could be displayed all year)

a little baked-clay box (a present I gave David)

The Briscoe Museum shop happily had a pet department, so we adopted this cute little javelina (an American native peccary). Residents of the SW speak of their fierceness, but this little cutie was just as sweet as can be.

There's a story with the next one. I walked into an interesting little gallery of local artists and was struck (not unlike Diamanti) by the beauty, artistry, and creativity of this lovely, very little (2x3"-5x7.5cm) watercolor.

It's the Assumption of the Virgin, specifically taking Murillo's baroque masterpiece as its starting point:

But notice, the angels and even the body of the Virgin are merely suggested by line drawing. Even the face is missing, and the only clearly depicted feature is the raised hand--an iconographic symbol of the acceptance of God's will. The hand and the blue mantel, the amazing color of which the photo does not do justice to, define the subject. Both in and of itself and as a rethinking of Murillo, I found it enchantingly beautiful, and the ultra-small scale is amazing.

Today's Earworm

I was watching the Olympics a couple days ago, and watched the Italian ice dancing couple perform. I was struck by the music the skated to which, as NBC kindly noted, was the theme from Diamanti (Engl. "Diamonds") an Italian film from 2024. Enraptured--and me being me--I researched, downloaded, and have been listening to it on iTunes ever since. It plays in my mind when I'm not listening to it. Not that I mind, I'm so spellbound by it. I have no idea why.

 

Below I offer YouTubes of the vocal version sung by Georgia, currently Italy's most popular female vocalist. One of the instrumental versions used in the film follows.  Enjoy!  

 

Water

I have a thing for water, especially waves crashing on rocky coastlines and fountains. I got carried away by a set of fountains on the river, in back of the  museum.

for those who can handle it, here are the videos 

The Briscoe Museum

The Briscoe Museum of Western Art and Sculpture Garden is a real gem. I admit, I first thought "Cowboy art, oh goody... not 😣" I couldn't have been more wrong. The collection is brilliant, powerful, moving, creative; and the bronzes just took my breath away.  Enjoy!

the Thunderbird

carved from rare Italian pink marble