This and That: A Blog

  W restlers I  (there is another I call  W restlers II ) was painted in 1960 by my father, W in Smith. There is a W poem here .

V is for The  V irgin . I found this hand-painted Mexican devotional Madonna painting in the Goodwill Outlet bins.  It's about 75 years old, not a tourist item. There is a V poem here , a V erso-Rhyme.

  N ativity  is my name for this diptych (an artwork in two connected parts), a term from Greek meaning " pair of writing tablets ."  I found it in the Goodwill Outlet bins, and it's one of my favorite pieces.  The artist is  Marlinde von Ruhs , which is rather incredible to find!  The two parts are hinged, trimmed in gold braid and a tassel, with the backs covered in turquoise felt with beading.  It's the most amazing nativity I've ever seen! Marlinde often mounted her smaller works in felt or velvet, brocade, and gold braiding.  According to some sources she didn't want them to be just paintings in a frame.  She liked the idea of a tactile, handmade presence.  I had assumed the framing and edging was added after the paintings left the artist's possession, and to find they were done by the artist herself was actually moving!  An N poem form, Nonce, can be found here . 

I nés  is my name for this painting on canvas I found unrolled in the dirt of a yard sale.  I got it for under $1.00. My I poetry form can be found here .

  H arvey is the name of the artist, and for lack of any title given I call the painting Harvey .  Harvey is a big guy, 24" x 30" from St. Vincent de Paul.  I paid $6.50 for him.  There's an H poetry form about H arvey h ere .

 Welcome to Day 1, or Day A , of the Blogging From A to Z April Challenge !  Each day of April, with Sundays off, I'll be posting artwork from my collection A to Z with a few short lines about the work.  The A to Z is either the artist's title, the title I've given it, or in a few cases the subject matter.  I will be posting the same images on my poetry blog, The Versesmith , with an A to Z poetry form.  It's not too late to join in. So, on with the Challenge! The A rtist painted by my father, Winstead D. Smith, 1962.  I didn't know until I was in my 50s, when my brother told me, that this was me! The A poetry form can be found here .  

  unsigned painting in my collection 

 This triptych (a single composition divided into three parts that are meant to be viewed together) etching, Freedom , is by Barbara Whipple (1921-1989).  It's number 15 of 35.  Her etchings are quite valuable.  I'm not so fond of this I wouldn't sell it, as I only paid $2.24 at Goodwill!  I don't know a lot, but I know to pick up numbered prints for cheap, just in case! This information was on the back of the mat.   I've not seen one of these before, but learned that in several states there are laws requiring disclosure of edition size, medium, and master plate status of prints, also called a Certificate of Authenticity.  Art dealers can be fined for selling prints without this. Art dealers would refuse to buy a print without one too, as they would be unable to sell it.  I wonder if having it makes my Whipple more valuable?   On a different day at Goodwill I got this 4" carved wooden mask, probably from Bali.  This might be th...

I went to St. Vincent de Paul to "check out the postcard situation."  They had put out some antique cards since last time I was in.  Not a lot of them, only enough to display in a plastic shoe box.  I don't know if you remember a post I made this past spring (on the old blog) where people having a yard sale had a sign for 100,000, or maybe it was 200,000, postcards.  Really.  The late father had been collecting since he was a teen, so for 70+ years.  Anyway, they donated them to St. Vincent de Paul!  If St. Vincent de Paul puts them out on the floor in quantities like this they will never get them all sold!  I hope the manager is trying to find a buyer for the lot, even if I miss out on some great ones.  She already told me she has Christmas one ready, but won't let me buy them yet.   There were also bundles of hotels and Minnesota strip mining.  The things people used to be proud of!  This is "Jolly Mr. Taconite," "create...

 Illustrations: Animals is the theme this week for Thursday Postcards . Alexander & Diogenes , by Sir Edwin Landseer There's a story behind it !  Springtime Friends , a mouth painting, by Mikolaj Kastelik Cats in Japan (Japan Lucky Cat Club), by Tadanori Yokoo The original poster was created for the Association for Manekineko Japan, a club celebrating maneki neko , the " beckoning cat ."   Postcard 1998. Four Dogs , from a painting by Lilian Chevoit.  Divided Back Era Postmark 1909  Halloween party.  Wedding. "Possum" hunting. Emma, the message writer, had quite a busy social life! Postcard that was included in the 1990 book,  Doggerel: Great Poets on Remarkable Dogs.   Illustrations are from linocuts by Martha Paulos . There's a short story behind my attaining this card. My son often goes thrifting with me.  He knows I love dogs.  He knows I collect postcards.  He knows I read and write and have a poetry blog.  ...

The Numbers Game #84   "Today’s number is 206. ... go to your photos file folder and type that number into the search bar. Then post a selection of the photos you find that include that number and post a link to your blog in my  Numbers Game  blog of the day." upper left corner: Wrestles acrylic painting ©Win Smith in my collection