The Junk Drawer

Stan Herd...Not your everyday farmer! by fleur_de_lis

Stan Herd is a crop artist, using the land as his canvas and seeds for his paints. He creates his designs by cultivating the ground and planting or cutting agricultural products like grains, grasses, flowers, trees and shrubs. Countryside To create his giant masterpieces Stan develops the image on graph paper--including colors. He grids the field using plane fly overs, flags and a transit to lay out the design on a scale of 100 feet to 1 inch. Once this is done, and with his design fastened to the side of his tractor, he begins to guide his vehicle into the curves and angles of his design. He also has to plow, mow and machete throughout the growing season to maintain the shapes! Saginaw Grant A unique feature of crop art (and environmental art for that matter) is the ever changing quality of the colors and textures of the materials as they are affected by rain or drought, heat or cold, or the transition of the seasons. Sunflower Field Crop art is not meant to be permanent and often has...

A Series of Un-Catastrophes... by fleur_de_lis

My vacation....a series of un-catastrophes, a long lost son, and pirates! Un-catastrophe 1: Flight cancelled! (but we were rebooked on a flight that left later -6:30 am instead of 5:30 am- with better connections)! Un-catastrophe 2: Shady Shuttle Driver! (left us off one stop too early, but it was easily corrected and I met a nice lady who filled me in on Disneyland)! Un-catastrophe 3: No room at the (Holiday) Inn! (We were not in the computer, but they kindly found us rooms, let us check in early, and quickly remedied the problem with our travel agency)! It's been a year since I've seen my son and all you mothers out there know that that is way too long! We met his friends, his 3 pet ferrets, and his girl friend. We saw where he lived, walked the beaches with him, shopped, grilled, talked and rebonded. It was hard to say goodbye not knowing when the next time will be. My only solace is that he has a terrible commute to and from work, and frequently calls us to pass the time! And...

Away..for a few days. by fleur_de_lis

I will be away from my blog for a few days of vacation to sunny California. My grandson and I will be visiting my son who lives in Costa Mesa. Of course we will be visiting Disneyland as well, and participating in the Pirate Dinner Adventure! While I am gone, I expect to be winning some cash from SaveMyHusband, a CD from Winning Circle, and a poster from Zach.....I am hoping to hear that a Steeple has won JT400, TH has decided to pay bloggers a monthly salary, Miracle is doing well and is back on 4 hooves, and the fit club has lost record weight. Oh...I'm also expecting some photos of the new babies to googoo over, some spiritual insights from Uncle Jesse, and a travel report from Shaken. I won't be disappointed if there are no further reports on Paris Hilton, however!

More M.C. Escher by fleur_de_lis

'My goal is to awaken wonder in the minds of my viewers.' M.C. Escher Whirlpools In 1936 Escher visited the Alhambra-a 14th century castle in Spain-and became fascinated with the complex geometric shapes and colorful variations of the ceramic tiles decorating the floors and ceilings. They so inspired him that he began to create his own bizarre pictures, using mathematically precise images of repeated shapes joined edge to edge with no spaces in between. In some of his more complex works his images rotate as they are repeated, pivot out and radiate from a center point. In Whirlpools you can see the fish swim up and out of one whirlpool only to be caught and dragged down into the next! Symmetry In this one you can easily see how the moths pivot around a center point! And now for my favorite! Devils and Angels It amazes how he can fit his images together so precisely. This theme was done not only in this format, but also in a round one and carved in a wooden sphere. (You can see these...

The Fantastical World of M.C. Escher by fleur_de_lis

Convex and Concave "My goal is to awaken wonder in the minds of my viewers." M.C. Escher (1899-1972) Enter the fantastical world of M.C. Escher where creatures squirm and wriggle, defy the laws of gravity, and metamorphose from fish to fowl. Enter his impossible illusions where up is down and left is right. Long before computer graphics, video simulations, and digital technology, M.C. Escher drew complex mathematical structures so they would appear very real. He would then change one element (scale, perspective, gravity) to make his fantasy worlds of mind bending, space twisting images. He drew his subjects from unusual angles, extreme closeups or in eerie reflections. This post will show you some of those images and my next post will show you some of his tessellations and metamorphoses. Waterfall Follow the path of the water as it defies gravity and flows uphill to go over the waterfall again and again! Escher makes his optical illusions very convincing! Drawing Hands Reptiles...

My American Daughter--Update 6 by fleur_de_lis

My American daughter wears combat boots instead of high heels. She carries an M-16 instead of a purse. My American daughter wears grime and dust on her face instead of lipstick and powder, she wears a uniform instead of a skirt. My American daughter drives a truck in a war torn country instead of a car to baseball practice. My American daughter has left for Iraq-- head high, eyes distant, brave and courageous. We, her loving family are so proud of her and her fellow soldiers, for the sacrifices she is making to serve her country. But my tears flow, my heart breaks and I am red, white, and very blue.... Yesterday we said farewell to the Army National Guard 600th Transportation Co. in Lincoln, Nebraska at State Fair Park. The motorcade from Camp Ashland went through the small town of Ashland on its way to the formal ceremony and we trailed behind it. It has been a long time since I have seen such an outpouring of support for our troops. People of all ages lined the streets waving flags and...