Crystal Bridges Art Museum

This weekend, Alex & I went with my husband's aunt to see a new art museum: Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas. The museum, which opened in November, was founded by Alice Walton of the Walmart family. The museum is a nonprofit organization and admission is FREE because of a grant from Walmart.

The museum buildings are amazing and it sits on a gorgeous 120 acre site with over 3 miles of walking and biking trails. Unfortunately, it was raining, so we didn't go out on the trails.

From the site: "the Museum complex encompasses a library, the hands-on Experience Art Studio and Drop-in Studio, a glass-enclosed gathering hall for lectures, films, and other events, a Museum Store, a restaurant, and areas for outdoor concerts and public events. (Above: part of a trail and sculpture taken through large glass window.)

The collection of American art is divided into 4 sections: Colonial, 19th Century, Modern, and Contemporary. The Colonial collection included art by Gilbert Stuart (the Constable-Hamilton portrait of George Washington shown above), John Trumbull, John Singleton Copley, and Samuel Finley Breese Morse (of morse code fame and whose art I discussed here).

Trompe L'oeil by Haberle from Wikipedia

The 19th Century area includes some trompe l'oeil which is art that tricks the eye into thinking it's 3 dimensional. One piece was by Haberle, though it isn't the one I posted above. There was also work by Mary Cassatt, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, and John Singer Sargent (whose art I copied for my charcoal portraits).

Norman Rockwell's Rosie the Riveter which was on Saturday Evening Post (from Wikipedia)

The Modern and Contemporary sections included art by Norman Rockwell (one of my favorite artists!), Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns (who we studied here), Louise Nevelson (who we studied here), and Jacob Lawrence.

I loved the layout of the museum. There were two places where you could stop and rest and look at art books or get on iPads to learn more about the art. And, there were two hands-on activity centers. Unfortunately, one closed just as we found it. But, we spent some time in the other. It had quite a few activities (including a dressing up area and places to build and to learn about art). Alex and Aunt C had fun making butterfly art!

Spring on Our Ranch

I guess I've never blogged about it, but last January we bought almost 400 acres in Oklahoma! We now have 97 mama cows - all of which have either already given birth or are getting ready to. Yesterday, my mom came to see the land for the first time. We went exploring with Alex and found lots of 'signs of spring'.....

One of our hay fields is just starting to pop up.

We have 7 ponds.... and there were THOUSANDS of tadpoles! And we saw a few frogs - very tiny frogs!

We saw dozens of dragonflies...including this one who had just emerged from its exoskeleton!
He was busy chomping on a leaf.

We bought 5 bulls this weekend! (Our cows are black angus and black angus mixes.)

One of my snag trees that stands in the middle of a field. I love it! I've asked them to NEVER cut this beauty down. And, our ranch manager said he's seen a bald eagle on our place...twice! I don't know if it's used this tree, but the tree is open for whoever wants to use it!

We have a 'grove' of black walnut trees! 19 of them! They are just starting to get leaves. My mom had a black walnut tree in her backyard while she was growing up, so she can help us process the nuts!

One of the beautiful wildflowers we saw. I'll have to learn how to identify them!

We have an underground natural spring that has been tapped into. We were getting some water out
of the spout...and saw this garter snake! (But, you all know I love snakes!) We also saw a garter
snake swimming on one of the ponds.

Not a great photo, but these are the first ducks I've seen on our property. When I zoomed in,
I was able to see identify them as blue-winged teals! Very cute!!

Wanigan

I finished another book by Gloria Whelan. This was another book for probably tweens. It only took me about an hour to read it, and I learned a lot about logging history in Michigan! The book is The Wanigan: A Life on the River.

So, what is a wanigan? And what does it have to do with logging? A wanigan is a boat used in logging.

The year is 1878 and Annabel Lee's dad is now a logger. Annabel Lee and her mom move onto a wanigan where they will cook for th loggers. The loggers spend their days moving the logs towards Lake Huron. 

Annabel Lee hates life on the river and the fact that every morning, when she wakes up, she's someplace new. She wants to move back home to Detroit - into a REALL house that stays in one place. But, she must help her mom to cook for the men. And get along with the only other child on the logging trip - an irritating boy. Logging is a dangerous lifestyle, and Annabell Lee's journey is perilous. And, when they reach Lake Huron, will they have enough money to buy a real home? Or will they spend another year on the river living in a wanigan?

My First Art Class: Immitating John Sargent Singer's Portraits

For two of our portraits (my 3rd & 4th out of 5), we copied work by the famous American portrait artist, John Sargent Singer.

This was a young looking soldier that I couldn't find a copy of online. He did look young in the painting, but I unfortunately also made him a little too feminine. It was my first attempt at a male!

     

And, on the left is my attempt at my 2nd male by Sargent. My skin is too 'smooth' and Sargent's portrait is looking down at us while mine is looking straight at us. Again, I felt mine turned out too feminine and, instead of shadows, it almost looks like 'my guy' is wearing eye shadow. I also had a HARD time with the hair, but ended up loving how it turned out! Not exactly like Sargent's, but a neat look ! Overall, I'm pleased with my fourth portrait!

Our (Gingerbread) Easter Bunny Hutch

Last night, Alex and I made a gingerbread Easter Bunny Hutch... (and I'm looking for a few good Easter projects to do while we're at Nana's house this weekend)

My First Art Class: Portraits

As I mentioned yesterday, I just finished my firt ever art class - a 12 week series with 6 weeks of pencil and 6 weeks of charcoal. We focused on still life and portraits.

My 1st portrait: (again, the photos are lighter than my actual drawing) For our first two portraits, we worked on faces from magazine adds.

Portrait #2 - I don't know why this one looks kind of purple. Anyway, this one was also from a magazine. I keep getting glimpses of who this really is. Can you guess? I see it most around her mouth or nose.
Answer: Drew Berrymore

Portrait #5: (I'll share #3 & #4 on another post) This was my final portrait which I completed yesterday. It is in charcoal while the first two are in pencil. I don't know the artist's name, but this is a copy of a 'real' piece of art. I don't know what kind of hat or shirt the man has on, but I copied what was drawn.

And this is a photo of me, yesterday, after my last class. Each drawing was this size - we started with about an 8.5x11 (whether from a magazine or a photocopy) and "blew it up" to make it this size. 

Each class was 2 hours long and I struggled weekly. I'd see what I was supposed to copy and thought there was no way I could do it. I struggled for about 1.5 hours each week...and then I'd see my drawing start to come to life! As a new artist, this was an amazing feeling!

My First Art Class: Still Life

I just completed my first ever art class! It was twelve weeks - six weeks of pencil and six weeks of charcoal. Each week I was incredibly startled by what I was doing! I'd look back at the art and couldn't believe that I had drawn what I'd drawn. I had a wonderful instructor and Alex will probably take lessons with him in the fall. So, here are my "still life" drawings....

Week 1 (pencil): Several figures set out and we needed to draw in correct proportion. Then, we worked on adding shading to one of them. (By the way, my drawings are darker - for some reasons the photos all turned out too light. I have a new camera and I need to learn how to use it!)

Week 2 (pencil): This still life included a vase and some fruit (as you can hopefully see!). Again, we were supposed to sketch in everything with correct proportions and then work on adding shading to one of them (in my case, the apple!).

Week 8 (1st charcoal drawing as I missed week 7): This week we added both coal AND fabric. I found the fabric REALLY tough.

Week 9 (charcoal and white chalk): For this still life, we used brown paper and added highlights with white chalk. We also had to/got to draw a reflection in the tea pot! And, more fabric...so tough!

I have a much greater appreciation for artists now! And, yes, I'd like to continue studying art, though it isn't a passion at this point. I really only drew a couple of times besides during class. We were supposed to work on our drawings throughout the week. Hmmm...

Istanbul, Not Constantinople

Alex is studying Roman history and, last week, studied Constantine the Great. Constantine is probably best remembered as the Christian emperor who legalized Christianity in Roman society. He also moved his capital to Istanbul which was renamed Constantinople.

Alex's teacher shared this video of the song "Istanbul, Not Constantinople" and it is quite catchy! I like how it teaches another fact, too...that New York was once New Amsterdam!

Book Review: The Impossible Journey by Gloria Whelan

This is the fourth book I've read by this author, Gloria Whelan. About two years ago, Alex and I read Mackinac Island triology which is set in Michigan during the War of 1812. We really enjoyed the book and I was pleasantly surprised to find that the book I just read, The Impossible Journey, was also written by this author.

This was another story about Russia that I highly recommend. And, there is a companion book, Angel on the Square, that I've alread requested!

The book is about a sister and brother who are living in Leningrad, Russia, in 1934. Their parents are arrested and Marya, the oldest sibling, decides to take her little brother, Georgi, on a 1,000 mile journey in search of their mom. Along the way they have tough encounters and meet some fascinating people. It's an "impossible journey" and will it result in a family reunion in the end?





This book would make a GREAT unit study - topics could include the geography of Russia (you could map their travels), lemmings, the Northern Lights, the deer herders of Siberia, Stalin and the Russian Gulag, and much more! I hope to use this book (and possibly the companion book) as a study with Alex next year as we study modern history.

Book Review: Breaking Stalin's Nose (a 2012 Newbery Honor Book)

This morning I was able to read the short story of Breaking Stalin's Nose by Eugene Yelchin. It is another book about Russia, a topic I'm very interested in right now.

The book is about a young boy, Sasha Zaichik, who adores both Stalin and his father. He "feels fortunate to live in the USSR." In a letter to Stalin, he writes: "My greatest dream has always been to join the Young Soviet Pioneers - the most important step in becoming a real Communist like my dad." However, the night before the ceremony where Sasha will join the Young Pioneers, his father is arrested. Now, Sasha is torn between his love of Communism/Stalin, and his love for his father.

I recommend this book, though not as highly as some of the others I've recently read. It is the shortest book about Russia I've read recently and it has quite a few pictures, though the subject would be kind heavy for a young child.