Festivals



Festival of Yi Peng, Chiang Mai, Thailand



Festivals

by Buff This is a season of festivals – Hanukah and Thanksgiving, for two. Giving thanks for miracles, for friends, family, health. Rejoicing in lights as we head into the dark winter. My brother and sister-in-law are currently in Chiang Mai, Thailand. They recently participated in an annual festival of lights, called Yi Peng, which involves releasing floating lanterns into the air. The lanterns are paper with candles inside, and the hot air allows the lanterns to ascend. Your lantern also carries your hopes and wishes for the coming year. As you can see from the photo, it is a spectacular sight! The Thais also enjoy fireworks, (as do I) but this gentle sky full of tiny lights puts fireworks to shame. Another festival that was celebrated at the same time was Loi Krathong. Participants release krathongs, which are little boats of palm leaves, flowers, incense sticks and candles, into the river. They not only show respect to the river, but let feelings of bad deeds and unworthy thoughts leave them along with the boats. We should all take a lesson from these festivals. We need to show more respect for rivers and all of nature’s other glories, and more humility to own up to our bad thoughts and let them go. We need more gentle, meaningful celebrations of light in our lives, and less noise and gunpowder.

Bittersweet

A THING of beauty is a joy for ever:

Its loveliness increases; it will never

Pass into nothingness; but still will keep

A bower quiet for us, and a sleep

Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing.

From Endymion, by John Keats

Fall’s display has turned to shades of brown. The once bright leaves crackle underfoot and blow in the wind. But two delights linger on: bittersweet and winterberries. Their brilliant reds and oranges quickly draw the eye, and they have been a source of pleasure for me every year. But this has now become a “bittersweet” experience. I never knew until now that there are two varieties of bittersweet. The indigenous American variety only has berries at the tips of the vines. An invasive and far more common variety, native to eastern Asia, was introduced in the 1860s. On the invasive variety, the berries grow along the length of the vines, and the vines have a tendency to engulf and slowly kill surrounding vegetation. It’s sad to discover that such a beautiful vine is engaged in a silent war with our native flora. Purple loosestrife and teasel are two other such plants that come to mind. I think that nature has always been a force of change and evolution. Nothing is stagnant, nothing is forever, and the transport of invasive species by mankind only accelerates an eternal process already carried out by birds, animals and the elements. But however you rationalize or try to justify such a process, the visual experience is forever changed. Keats’ observation must be followed by Prospero’s rejoinder, “Tis new to thee”. By Tom

I'm my Grandson's VIP!!! by Cate

When my Grandson, Carter, asked me to come to his class to be his VIP, I was flattered. Then I began to wonder what the heck to talk about to 20 first grader's....for 45 minutes. Yikes! Carter likes to make and wear jewelry, and he even made a few glass beads with me. So I figured we would all make a simple necklace with beads I made especially for them. I made about 30 sets of 6 beads in all different colors and had lengths of colored hemp cord ready to string. The kids loved looking at all the beads and picking their favorite color. First I showed them how to string the beads on the cord.

Then the teacher, 2 helpers and my step-daughter, Chrisana, went around the classroom helping the kids with me.

Here I am helping my Grandson, Carter.

After we were done with the necklaces, I gave each child a colorful glass magnet with their name on it. Carter says that the kids are still talking about what fun it was. Here we all are at the end of the session. It was a great experience for me.

Objects Lost and Found by Robert

Just about one hundred years ago, Picasso began to incorporate unexpected new materials into his drawings, pasting them directly onto the paper.  Columns of type and newspaper headlines became abstract elements in his compositions. Capital letters in headlines were used for their shapes rather than for their original meaning.  The technique became known as Collage, from the French word “coller,” to paste.

Picasso also added areas of wallpaper, veneers, and other materials for texture and color.  Later, in his very original sculptures, pieces of wood, metals, even a toy car which could stand in for an animal’s head. Such preexisting elements came to be known as Found Objects.

Since then, it has become accepted practice to incorporate found materials into art works. Pieces of driftwood have been used in sculpture for their curved forms; fabric pieces for their colors and textures, various papers, plastics and many more. 

I find it exciting to use a wide range of found objects in my own works (sculptures and collages).  Recently discovering some old corrugated cardboard, I used it for its interesting grooves and textures.  Tiny wooden balls, ropes, seashells and parts of old clamps have found their way into some of my three-dimensional works.

This freedom to include found objects is so general that it has been used in school art classes from early grades to adult levels.  Hobbyists also choose materials from a wide variety of sources. 

Hooray for found objects!