Laura Jeanne Grimes, artist
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My favorite depiction of the Resurrection

4/12/2020

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The Resurrection of Christ, by Matthias Grunewald

Here, I present to you my favorite depiction of the Resurrection, by Matthias Grunewald, one of the great German painters of his time. Not originally a free-standing painting, it was part of the Isenheim Altarpiece, a tour de force of Northern Renaissance painting. I have never seen it in person, only in reproduction, but even in reproduction, it has powerful impact: Christ emerging with blinding light and color, the Roman soldiers prostrate upon the ground.  

Khan Academy's website describes the Altarpiece as the most fantastically weird artistic production of Renaissance Christianity, "Christ is wreathed in orange, red and yellow body haloes and rises like a streaking fireball... " I couldn't put it better myself.

None of the Gospel writers describe the actual event of the Resurrection. None of them were there to see it happen. They tell us of the aftermath, the encounters with Jesus. Perhaps the most tender meeting occurs in the Book of John, with Mary Magdalen. "Woman, why are you crying?" He asks her, as she mistakes him for the gardener. Then, when he calls her by name, she recognizes him and cries out "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher).  And perhaps the strangest moment occurs a week later, when He appears to the disciples and commands Thomas, who had not believed He had risen, to reach out his hand and put it into the wound in his side. "Stop doubting and believe." In the painting, Grunewald shows the marks in the hands and feet, the wound in the side.  Even in His Resurrection, Christ still bears his wounds, the signs of his sacrifice.  

Today, April 12th, 2020, we attended Easter worship service via livestream. Our church has not met physically for a month, even though here in Texas, churches are exempt from the state orders regarding social distancing.  Our church leadership responsibly decided that, to protect the most vulnerable among us, we would be meeting virtually, not physically.  A different Easter for us all, but Easter, nevertheless. 





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The early spring wildflowers are here

3/26/2020

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The early spring wildflowers are here, not in as great profusion as in some years, but still not a shabby display.  This being the time of the Covid Pandemic, we are on Stay in Shelter status; however, the guidelines allow us to go outdoors for exercise, so long as we stay 6 feet away from other people.  So, we are still able to take the dog for walks.  Here are a few photos, all taken with my iPhone 7 Plus, edited n the Camera+ app and Instagram. 

"It is spring again.  The earth is like a child that knows poems by heart." -- Rainer Maria Rilke

Pink bluebonnet

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The wildflower known as Indian Paintbrush

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Tiny bloom

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Indian Paintbrush

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I had thought of visiting Venice in February

2/29/2020

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I had thought of visiting Venice in February, the time of year that, my research says, has the least number of tourists.  So, the prospect of seeing Piazza San Marco without quite as many bodies in it was tempting.  But, we went to Maine in October, vacation time is a bit slim, so we didn't go after all. 

Now, coronavirus is there.  Piazza San Marco is empty.  I wanted to go to Milan as well.  In both cities, museums have closed.  Hotels, restaurants are empty. Part of me wants to go ahead, buy a ticket, take a chance, just with the prospect of seeing the cities without the crowds. But, the sensible part of me says no.  The State Department has issued a travel advisory for Italy.  It isn't worth the risk.

I pray we won't see a repeat of the horrifying flu pandemic after World War I, when millions died, or the pandemic of 1957. Yes, we have modern medicine. But, it's a virus. Medicine is more limited in that case than if it were bacterial.  

Here, a painting of Piazza San Marco by Pierre-Auguste Renoir. I hope we can go one day.  Perhaps next year....
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For information on the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918, here is Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_flu  
 
And for info on the Asian Flu pandemic of 1957-58, here is the CDC. www.cdc.gov/flu/pandemic-resources/1957-1958-pandemic.html
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Portrait of Blanche Barrow

2/8/2020

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Blanche Barrow, married to Buck Barrow, Clyde Barrow's brother, became part of Bonnie and Clyde's gang.  We don't know if she was enthusiastic about the enterprise, but it was the family business after all.  According to Wikipedia, she only spent four months with the gang, but she still managed to become a nationally recognized fugitive from the law.  She was blinded in one eye during one of their getaways.  A posse caught up with her and Buck, fatally wounding him. She served 6 years in prison for intent to kill the sheriff of Platte County, MO.  And yet, so says Wikipedia, he treated her sympathetically.  She remarried after her release from prison, apparently living a quiet, unremarkable life, and died Christmas Eve, 1988, just short of her 78th birthday.

​I tried to give her a sense of quiet tragedy.  What would life have been, if she hadn't chosen her husband so poorly?  Did she just go along to get along, or did she relish that life?    
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Her mugshot

I assume a police mugshot is in the public domain.  
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#blanchebarrow
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Arthritis and Silver-Haired Selfie

1/30/2020

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Being a Boomer, I never intended to have arthritis and silver hair.  No, those  things just weren't in my agenda.  But, here we are. This piece is based on a photo I took of myself in the mirror.  The phone serves as a mask, shielding my face from the prying eyes of the world.  Sometimes I can be very outgoing.  Sometimes, I need that space.  Drawn freehand on my iPad Pro, Apple Pencil between my fingers.  No image load involved.  The app used: Sketch Club.  About two hours of work total.
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A new series: The cell phone as a mask

1/25/2020

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The cell phone, meant to be a means of communication, has also become a device of disconnection.  Lately I've become interested in how the phone shields the face, if only partially.  Go out to eat, and you almost always  will see a group of people, a family, where each person is on a mobile device.  Sometimes even toddlers will be occupied with an iPad.  A friend who works in Special Education at an elementary told me a few years ago that they are seeing more and more children arriving in Kindergarten with delay in both expressive and receptive language skills. She blames the mobile devices, and the research seems to back her up.

Here are four recent works. These pieces were all drawn on my iPad Pro, Apple Pencil in hand, no image loads, using the Sketch Club app for IOS. 

Unafraid                                                         Lavender Nail Polish

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Sketching at the Museum

12/2/2019

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I recently visited the Blanton Museum of Art on the University of Texas campus to see an exhibit of works by American artist Charles White.  I was particularly taken with a large drawing titled "Awaken from the Unknowing," 1961.  Charcoal and Wolff crayon on paperboard. Here is my sketch, drawn freehand on my iPad Pro, using the Sketch Club app. For more info on the work itself, visit: hammer.ucla.edu/now-dig-this/art/awaken-from-the-unknowing
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Two Sunflowers

9/9/2019

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Both, from life

Recently, at the grocery store, I saw sunflowers for sale.  Bought a bouquet of three.  It had been awhile since I drew flowers.  When lacking inspiration, setting up a still life can be a simple way to jumpstart the creative juices.  Here are two sketches, of two different sunflowers. Both drawn freehand on my iPad Pro, using the Sketch Club app, Apple Pencil between my fingers.  As a reminder, "drawn freehand" means no image load involved.
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Drawing Dior

9/7/2019

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I recently visited the Dallas Museum of Art to see their temporary exhibit of gowns by the house of Dior.  The exhibit includes Dior himself, and the designers who followed him.  You have to buy a ticket ahead of time, and they are timed tickets.  You have 45 minutes to see the exhibit, then you must clear out for the next group.  If you miss your time, oh, well!  I picked a few gowns out of the many  to sketch. These were, by necessity, done very quickly.  I wish I had more time, but, on, such fun!

All drawn freehand on my iPad Pro, using the Sketch Club app.  
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Four quick sketches of the Duomo in Florence, Italy

6/26/2019

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Four very quick sketches, done on four different visits.  It's interesting to me to see the varying approaches.  All three drawn freehand.  The first on an iPad 2, the second and third on an iPad Air 2, and the fourth, the most recent, on an iPad Pro. It's intriguing to me that my favorite is the one I did first, 8 years ago. Perhaps I should have stopped while I was ahead! 
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