My Art Interpretation of Beverly Buchanan's "Monroe County House with Yellow Datura"

Beverly Buchanan's "Monroe County House with Yellow Datura", a two-dimensional portrait for which the medium is oil pastel on paper. The materials used are paper, oil based paint, and the paintbrush, of course.

My interpretation of Ms. Buchanan's painting is a portrayal of a house as the main subject matter, with oversized Yellow Daturas as the secondary subject matter. The setting is in a yard or meadow full of flowers and plants. The painting is simple in its beauty and charm, as if painted by a child. My thoughts are that from a cultural narrative perspective, this house is somewhere in the Midwest or south and certainly in a rural area. Based on the title and further investigation into the picture, I learned that the painting is of a house in Georgia, and that Beverly Buchanan is far from a child, with an extensive curriculum vitae.

The visual qualities consist of a full bloom, late summer afternoon or early evening that depicts an open air setting. There is effective use of balance as the house is set in the middle of the painting with sharp, dark colors and objects, with clear lines and contours. I noticed the various colors (purple, red, brown and yellow) that a child would use to differentiate the various parts of the house.

Ms. Buchanan effectively uses linear perspective through the use of sharp, detailed lines to capture the main subject matter (the house). Through the use of convergence, I gained a sense of depth, particularly her painting of the lines on the roof of the house.

I noticed the use of value in the painting as the flowers in the foreground are bright, offsetting the multiple, dark colors of the house. I gained a sense atmospheric perspective in the house being sharp in its rendering while the flowers in the meadow are blurred. The meadow seems very much impressionistic with blended colors lacking clarity. It reminded me of Monet’s “Garden at Argenteuil.”

When I look at the Yellow Daturas, it almost appears as if Ms. Buchanan uses the illusion of foreshortening, as the flowers are much larger than their true scale. That is, the flowers are disproportionate to the rest of the painting. I never heard of Yellow Datura before, and my research disclosed that in all photos the flower is not as brilliant in color as portrayed in the painting. The flowers are very vivid with deep yellow hues and a richness of color and quickly gained my attention.

I believe this painting is to remind the viewer of their childhood memories based on the “child-like” artistic rendition. However, for myself, it brought me to a memory of a trip where my husband and I took our seven year old daughter to the south. We came upon a similar setting, both in style of home and landscaping. Our daughter had such a wonderful time frolicking through the meadow. The picture instantaneously brought a smile to my face of beautiful memories of a family trip I will never forget.

SWAROVSKI, A Store Not To Be Overlooked

When you say Swarovski, a lot of people think crystal vases, glasses, frames, figurines, etc…but rarely do I hear people mention jewelry (i.e., bracelets, rings, necklaces).Well folks, don’t overlook this place for those items, as I can tell you not only are they a thing of beauty, all their pieces are incredibly unique and classy.

I, for one, was one of those people. I was raised collecting the little Swarovski figurines. My grandparents once took me on a European vacation, where we tracked down every one of their stores, so that we could pick up different pieces that may be available in the States. Not once did I notice the other merchandise the store showcased (outside of what I originally mentioned above).

Then it happened. One day, a few years ago, my friend Jennifer, a wife of one of my boxers, was wearing this gorgeous ring. It was so stunning; I could not help admiring it. I must have stared at it for what seemed to be hours; I finally had to ask her where she had purchased it. She nonchalantly said, “Oh, I got it at Swarovski”. Swarovski?!, I said. I have to get over there and this time really open my eyes to what else I may have been missing!

Sure enough, the following weekend, I went back thinking, all the while, there is no way she bought that ring at “My Store”. This woman, my “so-called” friend, did not want to tell me where she had purchased her ring. Then when I arrived at their store in midtown Manhattan, there it was staring at me right in the face. That same beautiful ring, shining and calling my name! I said to myself “I can’t afford this!” Can I tell you, it was so reasonably priced I ended up buying three within one year.

Last year, my friends and I for the holidays, decided to limit our gifts price due to the economy. I was able to find these beautiful bangles, within our price range, for all five of us, that easily look more expensive. There is not a day that goes by without someone complementing one of us.

Basically, what I am trying to say, ladies, if you’re looking for something reasonable and exquisite, SWAROVSKI, A Store Not to Be Overlooked. Men, if you’re looking for a unique gift for your lady, one that says you took the time to look for that special something just for her, SWAROVSKI, A Store Not to Be Overlooked.

There has never been a time where I left any one of their stores and did not have a positive experience with customer service, merchandise quality and reasonable pricing. I suggest you get to your nearest store and see for yourselves!

Also, please check out their website dedicated to Endangered Wildlife Trilogy and SCS water projects. Personally, my favorite of these animals are the Gorillas. http://www.swarovski.com/Web_US/en/crystal_society?contentid=10007.57823

Keep it Real, Not Reality TV

Reality TV, not only is it addictive, but it is time consuming. Speaking for myself, I know it brings my brain to a complete level of numbness. I understand that Reality TV originated due to the actors strike, but the strike is long and gone. I won’t lie; I am known to catch a few shows as a guilty pleasure. However, after I have indulged myself, I realize I just wasted 1 -2 hours of my life, and my mind became complete mush.

I know there is a lot of young, raw talent waiting to use their creative minds, let’s not hold them back. Creativity seems to have gotten lost. Let’s encourage the young to use their minds and creativity. Keep it real, not Reality TV; show them what they are capable of.

With that being said, here is my personal thought on a particular reality television show I recently had a chance to view. “T.I. Road to Redemption” is by far one of the better reality television shows out today.

Whether people believe it’s a “PR hype” or a way for him to get out of jail time, who really cares? He seems to be making a change in some of these young peoples’ lives. Isn’t that something to live for and appreciate? Someone is taking the time to educate young people of tomorrow; helping save some misdirected youths. I myself would love the opportunity to make a difference in even just one person’s life.

Is it so hard for us to be selfless or self-involved? I challenge every one of you to make a conscious effort and take the time to try and put a smile, a sparkle of hope into someone’s life; someone who has already given up on themselves. Believe me, I understand it is not an easy task, but if everybody commits to this challenge, add it up, we can change the world, one person at a time! Make it a better place for our children, grandchildren and so on.

Key rule to remember, which we have all heard many times in our lives: Lead by example.

Customer Service

If you look up the words customer and service in the bible of dictionaries, Webster’s New World College Dictionary, this is what you will find;
Customer - a person who buys, esp. one who buys from, or patronizes, an establishment regularly.
Service - an act giving assistance or advantage to another; friendly help; also, professional aid or attention.

Now, can someone explain to me how anyone in the customer service industry does not know the meaning of their job? There are few spots I regularly visit and I have to say, I am terribly disappointed at the lack of customer service I receive. Wouldn’t you think in today’s economy, people would try (even just a little) to be friendly, attentive and helpful to those keeping them employed, more so a returning customer?

A nail salon, in a heavy traffic area of East Hanover, situated in a strip mall – I have been a dedicated customer for over two years. Not only am I loyal and spending a lot of money there for myself and my five daughters, I have also referred many people. What do I get for my patronage? I get insults, derogatory comments, pushed aside for new customers, rushed service which leads to pain and poor mistakes. You may be wondering why I still revisit this establishment. Basically, this is what you get anywhere you go nowadays. If anyone can refer me to a good nail salon, I am all ears.

A name brand fitness center, located in West Caldwell – Boy oh boy, a place I used to “regular” so much that I viewed the staff more as friends. My husband committed to having me train with an in-house trainer, which we took a liking to. The staff, my husband and I would joke with each other from the moment we would walk in. It was an amazing place. That is, until the day there was a glitch in my account. Mind you, the issue didn’t come from any one of the regular staff. The regular staff actually said, “no worries, Ivy, we will take care of it, when we can get the chance.” I kept trying to get in touch with the one staff member I originally spoke to about the situation, but we kept missing each other. Then one of the membership consultants offered to help me fix the issue; to the contrary, I was hesitant because I knew he was newly employed- but… he seemed nice, so I was like, “psh, why not?” What a mistake that was! The man never did his homework, and on top of being full of nonsense, he dished out unnecessary attitude. With that, my husband went in, closed our accounts and said “Unfortunately we will need to close our accounts. There is nothing else that needs to be said because I would not be a man if I let anyone get away with disrespecting my wife!” Way to go honey!

So through my venting on customer service, I hope this message reaches those who need to hear it. There are so many unemployed people looking for an opportunity, let’s give those people a chance and replace the many who lack desire to work and bring back the true meaning of customer service.

"Inspiration"

During one of our many Penn State tailgating moments, I was able to stop time and capture this portrait for a lifetime. Not only was this an incredible air-jump catch (yes, that's right, he caught it!), this image says so much to me.

I actually found myself asking "what if he thought he would not have been able to catch the ball? What if he didn't take the chance?" I realized at that moment, he might have never known it was possible. He would have ultimatley failed himself for not trying.

I view this image as an inspiration to take chances. Don't let the thought of failure be our own personal failure. By trying, we are half-way to success, but by not trying at all, we have already failed. Scary thought isn't it.

I actually came across this quote that pretty much sums my thought up: "Nothing important was ever achieved without someone taking a chance." ~ H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

By the way...that is Matt, my trainer and sole provider of my pain!

Remember this: "Believe all things are possible" ~Mark 9:23

"No Pain, No Gain", Come on Really????

"No Pain, No Gain", a phrase which seems to be haunting me and a cliche' or idiom I can surely do without.

I am preparing for my family vacation to Miami Beach at the end of the month, followed by a "run away from the kids" vacation to Cabo with my husband in April. I am OBLIGATED to work out with a personal trainer, if I dare think about getting into a swimsuit. I can't deny that my personal trainer, Matt, is great at what he does. However, as I am dying and barely able to move, I hear him say those hateful words: "No pain, No gain Ivy! Think about the end result." Honestly, I wish I had the strength or breath to just scream or slap him silly (why do I pay for such torture)!

My husband thought it was hilarious to come home and find our seven year old daughter rubbing the pain out of my abs after my last set of crunches. Just in time for me to complete the 20 yard shuttle run that Matt had prepared for me in my driveway. For the NFL Combine, the players used plastic cones to run with. Matt had me carrying bricks from one end to the other. He is a sadist! Then my ever so loving and supportive husband was "encouraging" me by repeatedly saying "come on honey you can do it!". He is lucky I had no strength to drop that brick on his head.

After this past session on Saturday, I asked Matt about that phrase and his thoughts, he mearly said "it's 100% true". I shouldn't have been surprised to have heard that statement from him, but hey, it doesn't hurt to dream. With that said, interestingly enough, I decided to look up the origin of that phrase and here is what I found: The earliest mention was by poet Robert Herrick's Hesperides poem in 1650 as "Without pains, no gains." but my God, everyone else wrote that same phrase century after century. Why couldn't someone have come up with "eventually we all gain without pain?" :) You heard it here first!