Aug 25, 2014 | Tabloid art history
Do you recognize this painting?: Correct! The Mona Lisa by Leonardo. Have you seen the original in the Louvre? If so, had you seen reproductions of it before you visited the museum? And, if you had seen reproductions of it before visiting, did it make experiencing the...
Aug 7, 2014 | Tabloid art history
Many years ago when I began teaching I excitedly told my Introduction to Art Education class that we would be visiting an art museum as part of our course work. I was met in return with long faces and frightened looks. It turns out that many of the students did not...
Jun 23, 2014 | Tabloid art history
Collective memory refers to the idea that many people can share a story about a place, a time, a concept. River Road, Topsfield, MA: When I was asked by the Topsfield Library Board of Directors to create a work of art for the new addition of the library, I chose River...
May 21, 2014 | Tabloid art history
Jacob van Ruisdael, View of Haarlem, (1670). Oil on canvas, 22 x 24 in. Mauritshuis, the Hague. Meg Black (2010). Van Ruisdael’s Vision. Inspired by the Dutch artist Jacob van Ruisdael. Mixed media painting, 30 x 22. Meg Black (2005) Sweeping Dunes 40X20 inches....
Jul 12, 2013 | Tabloid art history
Tea bags are made from Abaca, the Philippine word for Manila hemp (Musa Textilis), a type of banana tree. Abaca is a strong fiber capable of standing up to hard use. Tea bags are no thicker than a standard tissue, but try dipping one of those in boiling water! It is...
Aug 5, 2011 | Tabloid art history
I am working on two new paintings that are smaller versions of this one. Jacob van Ruysdael is one of my favorite artists. His division of the canvas into 1/3-with the sky taking up 2/3 of the space is masterful. Very difficult to make “sky” such an...
