Entitled photos on Flickr

From my set entitled “Dogwood”

www.flickr.com/photos/21861018@N00/sets/72157607217567721/

In my collection entitled “The Garden”

www.flickr.com/photos/21861018@N00/collections/7215760718...

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dogwood

The Dogwoods comprise a group of 30-50 species of mostly deciduous woody plants growing as shrubs and trees, some species are herbaceous perennial plants and a few of the woody species are evergreen. They are in the family Cornaceae, divided into one to nine genera or subgenera (depending on botanical interpretation). Four subgenera are enumerated here.

Most species have opposite leaves and a few have alternate. The fruit of all species is a drupe with one or two seeds. Flowers have four parts.

Many species in subgenus Swida are stoloniferous shrubs, growing along waterways. Several of these are used in naturalizing landscape plantings, especially the species with bright red or bright yellow stems. Most of the species in subgenus Benthamidia are small trees used as ornamental plants. As flowering trees, they are of rare elegance and beauty, comparable to Carolina silverbell, Canadian serviceberry, and the Eastern Redbud for their ornamental qualities.

The fruit of several species in the subgenera Cornus and Benthamidia is edible, though without much flavour. The berries of those in subgenus Swida are mildly toxic to people, though readily eaten by birds. Dogwoods are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Emperor Moth, The Engrailed, Small Angle Shades and the following case-bearers of the genus Coleophora: C. ahenella, C. salicivorella (recorded on Cornus canadensis), C. albiantennaella, C. cornella and C. cornivorella (The latter three feed exclusively on Cornus). They were used by pioneers to brush their teeth. The pioneers would peel off the bark, bite the twig and then scrub their teeth.

Numerous varieties of Dogwo

od are represented in the insignia of U.S. states and Canadian provinces.

The inflorescence of Pacific Dogwood is the official flower of the province of British Columbia

The Dogwood (Cornus florida) and its inflorescence are the state tree and the state flower respectively for the U.S. Commonwealth of Virginia. It is also the state tree of Missouri and the state flower of North Carolina.

The word dogwood comes from dagwood, from the use of the slender stems of very hard wood for making 'dags' (daggers, skewers).[2] The wood was also highly prized for making loom shuttles, arrows, tool handles, and other small items that required a very hard and strong wood.

Larger items were also made of dogwood such as the screw in basket-style wine or fruit presses, also made were the first styles of the tennis racket made out of the bark cut in thin strips.

Another earlier name of the dogwood in English is the whipple-tree. Geoffrey Chaucer uses the word whippletree in the Canterbury Tales (The Knight's Tale, verse 2065) to refer to the dogwood. Another larger item made of dogwood still bears the name of the tree from which it is carved. The whippletree is an element of the traction of a horse-drawn cart, which links the drawpole of the cart to the harnesses of the horses in file.

The name Dog-Tree entered English vocabulary by 1548, and had been further transformed to Dogwood by 1614. Once the name dogwood was affixed to the tree, it soon acquired a secondary name as the Hound's Tree, while the fruits came to be known as dogberries or houndberries (the latter a name also for the berries of Black nightshade & alluding to Hecate's hounds).

It is possible that the common name of Dogwood may have come because “dogs were washed with a brew of its bark, hence Dogwood.” Another name is blood-twig, due to the red colour it turns in autumn.

In botany and in colloquial use, the term dogwood winter may be used to describe a cold snap in spring.

There is a Christian legend of unknown origin that proclaims that the cross used to crucify Jesus was constructed of dogwood.[3] As the story goes, during the time of Jesus, the dogwood was larger and stronger than it is today and was the largest tree in the area of Jerusalem. After his crucifixion, Jesus changed the plant to its current form: he shortened it and twisted its branches to assure an end to its use for the construction of crosses. He also transformed its inflorescence into a representation of the crucifixion itself, with the four white bracts cross-shaped, which represent the four corners of the cross, each bearing a rusty indentation as of a nail and the red stamens of the flower, represents Jesus' crown of thorns, and the clustered red fruit represent his blood.[4]

Lily and Bellflower by Bill Barber

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From my set ewntitled “Lilies”

www.flickr.com/photos/21861018@N00/sets/72157607186495368/

In my collection entitled “The Garden”

www.flickr.com/photos/21861018@N00/collections/7215760718...

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Daylilies comprise the small genus Hemerocallis of flowering plants in the family Hemerocallidaceae. They are not true lilies which are Lilium in Liliaceae.

These plants are perennial. The name Hemerocallis comes from the Greek words ἡμέρα (hēmera) "day" and καλός (kalos) "beautiful". The flowers of most species open at sunrise and wither at sunset, possibly replaced by another one on the same stem the next day. Some species are night-blooming. Daylilies are not commonly used as cut flowers for formal flower arranging, yet they make good cut flowers otherwise as new flowers continue to open on cut stems over several days.

Originally native from Europe to China, Korea, and Japan, their large showy flowers have made them popular worldwide. There are over 60,000 registered cultivars. Only a few cultivars are scented. Some cultivars rebloom later in the season, particularly if their developing seedpods are removed.

Daylilies occur as a clump including leaves, the crown, and the roots. The long, often linear lanceolate leaves are grouped into opposite flat fans with leaves arching out to both sides. The crown of a daylily is the small white portion between the leaves and the roots, an essential part of the fan. Along the flower stem or scape, small leafy "proliferations" may form at nodes or in bracts. These proliferations form roots when planted and are the exact clones of the parent plant. Some daylilies show elongated widenings along the roots, made by the plant mostly for water storage and an indication of good health.

The flower consists of three petals and three sepals, collectively called tepals, each with a midrib in the same or in a contrasting color. The centermost section of the flower, called the throat, has usually a different and contrasting color. There are six stamens, each with a two-lobed anther. After pollination, the flower forms a pod.

Daylilies can be grown in USDA plant hardiness zones 1 through 11, making them some of the most adaptable landscape plants. Most of the cultivars have been developed within the last 100 years. The large-flowered clear yellow 'Hyperion', introduced in the 1920s, heralded a return to gardens of the once-dismissed daylily, and is still widely available. Daylily breeding has been a specialty in the United States, where their heat- and drought-resistance made them garden standbys during the later 20th century. New cultivars have sold for thousands of dollars, but sturdy and prolific introductions soon reach reasonable prices.

'Kwanzo' - a triple-flowered triploid cultivar

Tawny Daylily Hemerocallis fulva, and sweet-scented H. lilioasphodelus (H. flava is an illegitimate name), colloquially called Lemon Lily, were early imports from England to 17th century American gardens and soon established themselves. Tawny Daylily is so widely growing wild that it is often considered a native wildflower. It is called Roadside or Railroad Daylily, and gained the nickname Wash-house or Outhouse Lily because it was frequently planted at such buildings.

Hemerocallis is one of the most hybridized of all garden plants, with registrations of new hybrids being made in the thousands each year in the search for new traits. Hybridizers have extended the plant's color range from the yellow, orange, and pale pink of the species, to vibrant reds, purples, lavenders, greenish tones, near-black, near-white, and more. However, a blue daylily is a milestone yet to be reached.

Other flower traits that hybridizers develop include height, scent, ruffled edges, contrasting "eyes" in the center of the bloom, and an illusion of glitter or "diamond dust." Sought-after improvements in foliage include color, variegation, disease resistance, the ability to form large, neat clumps and being evergreen or semi-evergreen instead of herbaceous (also known as "dormant" — the foliage dies back during the winter.)

A recent trend in hybridizing is to focus on tetraploid plants, with thicker petal substance and sturdier stems. Until this trend took root, nearly all daylilies were diploid. "Tets," as they are called by aficionados, have double the number of chromosomes as a diploid plant.[1] Only one cultivar is known to be triploid, the brilliant orange 'Kwanzo' or 'Kwanso,' which cannot set seed and is reproduced solely by underground runners (stolons) and division. Usually referred to as a "double," meaning producing flowers with double the usual number of petals (e.g., daylily 'Double Grapette'), 'Kwanzo' actually produces triple the usual number of petals.

The flowers of some species are edible and are used in Chinese cuisine. They are sold (fresh or dried) in Asian markets as gum jum or golden needles (金针 in Chinese; pinyin: jīnzhēn) or yellow flower vegetables (黃花菜 in Chinese; pinyin: huánghuācài). They are used in hot and sour soup, daylily soup (金針花湯), Buddha's delight, and moo shu pork. The young green leaves and the tubers of some (but not all[citation needed]) species are also edible. The plant has also been used for medicinal purposes. Care must be use as some species can be toxic.

AUDACE - Fellini Couture by Carilynn OHare

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Fellini Couture is proud to present it's latest release entitled "Audace" which means "bold" in French. Audace is indeed bold, dramatic, and makes a wonderful fashion statement. But it is an outfit you will reach for again and again because of its feminine sophistication and chic, effortless styling.

The unique top comes in four pieces (1) the beautiful see-through black lace embroidered top with attached black, textured corset, (2) a layer of prim lace embroidery which covers both the front and back, fitting over the shoulder pieces (3) a sheer piece of black, sleeveless organza which completely surrounds the bodice area, and (4) the magnificent prim shoulder pieces with long, flowing black fringe that flow with your every movement. The effect is stunning!

The elaborate full, ruffled slacks are smart and refined. Included is a sheer prim belt with criss-cross detail in the center, to add another touch of fashionable styling to this outfit.

And for the hair, two long-stemmed black roses, crossed together in the center, are included and will fit nicely into whatever your hair choice is.

If you love to mix and match your styling, Audace is perfect for that -- all in black, different textures, different effects and easy to incorporate with other pieces in your wardrobe. You can really make this outfit into something unique, just for you!!

You will be "dressed to the nines" when you wear Audace. Get ready for lots of compliments, ladies!

slurl.com/secondlife/Avenue%20Champs%20Elysees/164/192/31

Model: Carilynn OHare

Photographer: Joy Fellini

(Thank you to Joy and Fauve for everything - this past year has been so very special for me and the opportunity you gave me to represent your brand will remain so precious to me always! xoxox)

thebosl.com/bosl_blog/

Forming Sumac Flower by Bill Barber

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From my set entitled ‘Sumac”

www.flickr.com/photos/21861018@N00/sets/72157607186471302/

In my collection entitled “The Garden”

www.flickr.com/photos/21861018@N00/collections/7215760718...

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sumac

Sumac (also spelled sumach) is any one of approximately 250 species of flowering plants in the genus Rhus and related genera, in the family Anacardiaceae. The dried berries of some species are ground to produce a tangy purple spice often used in juice.

Sumacs grow in subtropical and warm temperate regions throughout the world, especially in North America.

Sumacs are shrubs and small trees that can reach a height of 1-10 meters. The leaves are spirally arranged; they are usually pinnately compound, though some species have trifoliate or simple leaves. The flowers are in dense panicles or spikes 5-30 cm long, each flower very small, greenish, creamy white or red, with five petals. The fruits form dense clusters of reddish drupes called sumac bobs.

Sumacs propagate both by seed (spread by birds and other animals through their droppings), and by new sprouts from rhizomes, forming large clonal colonies.

The drupes of the genus Rhus are ground into a deep-red or purple powder used as a spice in Middle Eastern cuisine to add a lemony taste to salads or meat; in the Turkish cuisine e.g. added to salad-servings of kebabs and lahmacun. In North America, the smooth sumac (Rhus glabra), and the staghorn sumac (Rhus typhina), are sometimes used to make a beverage, termed "sumac-ade" or "Indian lemonade" or "rhus juice". This drink is made by soaking the drupes in cool water, rubbing them to extract the essence, straining the liquid through a cotton cloth and sweetening it. Native Americans also used the leaves and berries of the smooth and staghorn sumacs combined with tobacco in traditional smoking mixtures.

Species including the fragrant sumac (Rhus aromatica), the littleleaf sumac (R. microphylla), the skunkbush sumac (R. trilobata), the smooth sumac and the staghorn sumac are grown for ornament, either as the wild types or as cultivars.

The leaves of certain sumacs yield tannin (mostly pyrogallol), a substance used in vegetable tanning. Leather tanned with sumac is flexible, light in weight, and light in color, even bordering on being white.

Dried sumac wood is fluorescent under long-wave UV light. Mowing of sumac is not a good control measure as the wood is springy resulting in jagged, sharp pointed stumps when mowed. The plant will quickly recover with new growth after mowing. See Nebraska Extension Service publication G97-1319 for suggestions as to control.

At times Rhus has held over 250 species. Recent molecular phylogeny research suggests breaking Rhus sensu lata into Actinocheita, Baronia, Cotinus, Malosma, Searsia, Toxicodendron, and Rhus sensu stricta. If this is done, about 35 species would remain in Rhus. However, the data is not yet clear enough to settle the proper placement of all species into these genera.

[ - lakeland reflections - ] by mijnheer TRONA

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[ CPP Project example - January 2000 ]

This is a part of an ongoing & experimental photo project of mine entitled "Corpse Photo-Poetics." ( This was was composed by myself & old friend Andrew Williams) It was conceived as a sort of abstraction of the Surrealist game, "Exquisite Corpse."

I can't locate my formal description of the project, but I'll try to succinctly state its simplicity:

With E.C., partipants divide a piece of a paper into thirds or quaters, choosing, for instance, the human form. Each participant chooses a section of the form to complete, covering their work, leaving only lines to give the next player a starting point for the next section of the piece. The result can be something quite surprising and, sometimes even good! ;)

I chose to use double exposure photographs. The CPP images have mostly been produced directly in the camera (35mm). With no fixed form in mind, each person grabs an image to be integrated with the photograph of another in the camera, and hopefully the result is just as surprising and, even good!

This is a randomly chosen example -- I have very few digital copies at this time, but will try to change that soon. I'm working on new methods and am always looking for new collaborators.

Let's see, thank you for taking a look, reading about this crazy project & LMK if you are interested. ;)

OK. Here's further description that I e-mailed to one recent participant, the amazing Ms. LaDonna Chaos:

Let’s see… I'll do my best to b-r-I-e-f-l-y describe the project off the top o' my chaotic head here.

Firstly, I've hand-picked only a few collaborators for this admittedly odd little project. I plan future gallery shows (a close friend is currently shopping it around NYC, for instance) and even [gasp> a coffee table book.

OK. But first, here' how it started:

In the 90s -- yes, WAY BACK THEN -- I began d-a-b-b-l-i-n-g in photography, and became QUICKLY fascinated w/ multiple exposures when an old Arette 35mm I tried had a broken winding mechanism, producing these wonderful, almost halucinatory double & triple exposures.

I began to then INTENTIONALLY use the double exposure technique (with a properly functioning camera this time) in my compositions.

OK. One day, whilst traveling the long, lonely stretches of the 95 through rural Georgia, it occurred to me to try abstractly applying the dAdAists' and surealists' exquisite corpse game to photography.

With my game -- CPP: Corpse Photo-Poetics -- two photographers each contribute a photo or exposure w/o knowing what the other person had done to see what kind of final composition or new form, if you will, they end up with.

Here's how we'd do this: I'll take a roll of pictures (none of them needing to be complete compositions, not necessarily), and when I'm finished, I'll rewind leaving the film leader extending from the roll so that it can be reloaded into another camera.

THEN, you'll indeed (or so I hope that you’ll want to =) load the roll into your camera and shoot over my set of images, producing (no doubt ;) some AbFAB double exposure photographs -- CPP's!!!

OK. I hope that made SOME sense. ;)

One thing to keep in mind is that many of these won't work out, but there will NO DOUBT be GEMS, my dear.

Well, I t-r-e-m-e-n-d-o-u-s-l-y look forward to discussing this further and to working with you on this!! I AM QUITE honored by your interest!!!

Incidentally, this is the primitive, FUN technique, but I will soon move to enact some refinements to the process. In any case, I just thought that we could have some fun for now in this still early stage of things. What do you reckon?

[Bridge of Gods] by SMU Libraries Digital Collections

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Title: [Bridge of Gods]

Creator: Unknown

Date: 1902

Part Of: Tourist album: Mexico, Arizona, California, Colorado and Utah

Place: Tamasopo, San Luis Potosi, Mexico

Description: This is one of 287 photographs in an album entitled, 'Tourist Album: Mexico, Arizona, California, Colorado and Utah.'

Physical Description: 1 photographic print: gelatin silver, part of 1 album (287 gelatin silver prints); 10 x 13 cm on 28 x 35 cm mount

File: ag2000_1304_41a_1_opt.jpg

Rights: Please cite DeGolyer Library, Southern Methodist University when using this file. A high-resolution version of this file may be obtained for a fee. For details see the sites.smu.edu/cul/degolyer/research/permissions/ web page. For other information, contact degolyer@smu.edu.

For more information and to view in high resolution, see: digitalcollections.smu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/mex/id/2421

View the Mexico: Photographs, Manuscripts, and Imprints Collection

Heuchera by Bill Barber

From my set entitled “Heuchera”

www.flickr.com/photos/21861018@N00/sets/72157607185356154/

In my collection entitled “The Garden”

www.flickr.com/photos/21861018@N00/collections/7215760718...

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HeucheraThe genus Heuchera includes at least 50 species of herbaceous perennial plants in the family Saxifragaceae, all native to North America. Common names include alumroot and coral bells. They have palmately lobed leaves on long petioles, and a thick, woody rootstock. The genus was named after Johann Heinrich von Heucher (1677–1746), an 18th century German physician.

Alumroot species grow in varied habitats, so some species look quite different from one another, and have varying preferences regarding temperature, soil, and other natural factors. H. maxima is found on the Channel Islands of California, where it grows on rocky, windy, saline-washed ocean shores. H. sanguinea, called coral bells because of its terra cotta-colored flowers, can be found in the warm, dry canyons of Arizona. Gardeners and horticulturists have developed a multitude of hybrids between various Heuchera species. There is an extensive array of blossom sizes, shapes, and colors, foliage types, and geographic tolerances.

Though tangy and slightly astringent, the leaves may be used to liven up bland greens.

Natives of the Northwest U.S. have used tonic derived of Alumroot roots to aid digestive difficulties, but extractions from the root can also be used to stop minor bleeding, reduce inflammation, and otherwise shrink moist tissues after swelling.

Compendium of medicine, Incipit page, Walters Art Museum Ms. W.595, fol. 2b by Walters Art Museum Illuminated Manuscripts

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This manuscript is a compendium/encyclopedia of medicine entitled Ẕakhīrah-i Khvārazmshāhī, composed by Zayn al-Dīn al-Jurjānī (d. 531 AH / 1136 CE). It was copied by Muḥammad ibn Maʿrūf ibn Maḥammad al-Zarīr [?] al-Kāzarūnī Shīrānī in 889 AH / 1484 CE. The text opens with a double-page illuminated incipit with verses alluding to the title of the work.

To explore fully digitized manuscripts with a virtual page-turning application, please visit Walters Ex Libris.

CBS News recently reported that President Biden is considering bringing into the United States an undisclosed number of pro-Hamas, pro-10/7 Gaza Muslim refugees, who will be entitled to permanent U.S. residency, and resettlement benefits by Chic Bee

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Biden’s Plan to Bring Pro-Hamas, Pro-10/7 Gaza Muslims into the U.S. Endangers Americans, American Jews and U.S. Support for Israel

Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) National President Morton A. Klein released the following statement:

CBS News recently reported that President Biden is considering bringing into the United States an undisclosed number of pro-Hamas, pro-10/7 Gaza Muslim refugees, who will be entitled to permanent U.S. residency, resettlement benefits including housing assistance, and a path to American citizenship. This is a terribly dangerous idea. Antisemitic violence has already reached perilous levels in the U.S. Mobs identifying themselves as “we are all Hamas” are assaulting Jewish students, and threatening Jews that there will be “10,000 October 7ths” and that “7th of October is going to be every day for you.” (See also ZOA’s detailed letter to AG Garland, Asst. AG Clarke and FBI Director Wray, May 8, 2024.) Bringing more pro-Hamas Gazans into the United States will result in even more violent attacks on Jews and others on American campuses and streets.

The U.S. is unable to vet prospective Gazan refugees for terror activities, terror ties and Islamist terrorist ideology. There is no U.S. “on the ground” presence in Gaza; U.S. officials are prohibited from traveling to Gaza. As former FBI Director James Comey famously testified before Congress on October 21, 2015, in areas where the U.S. has no on-the-ground presence to enable the U.S. to collect information about a local population, “we can query our database [about prospective refugees] until the cows come home, but there will be nothing showing up because we have no record of them.” (C-Span video, minute 45)

Similarly, as thirty-four U.S. Senators wrote in a letter to President Biden dated May 1, 2024, opposing Biden’s plan to admit Gazan refugees: “[W]e are not confident that your administration can adequately vet this high-risk population for terrorist ties and sympathies before admitting them into the United States. . . . U.S. and allied officials have very little access to Gazans living in the area, making it nearly impossible to conduct thorough vetting before admitting them into our country. . . We are confused as to why the United States is willing to accept Gazan refugees when even nearby Arab countries supportive of the Palestinian cause refuse to take them in due to security concerns.”

The inability to vet Gazans is especially dangerous, given the strong likelihood that Gazans have terror ties and/or sympathies. Gazans overwhelmingly elected the terrorist group Hamas. Gazans are taught in UNRWA schools and mosques, and by their Hamas government, to hate Jews, Christians and America. Thousands of Gazan civilians, including UNRWA teachers, participated in Hamas’ October 7 massacre, torture and kidnapping of Israeli citizens. The Gazan civilians were just as cruel and sadistic as Hamas. Gazan civilians abused their Israeli work permits to collect detailed intelligence on Israeli communities, and to draw maps of Jewish nurseries and homes to help Hamas slaughter Jewish babies and kidnap Israeli civilians. Israeli forces have found weapons stored for Hamas and terror tunnel entrances in numerous Gazan homes (as well as in hospitals, schools and UNRWA facilities).

The most recent (March 2024) Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PCPSR) poll found that 71% of Gazans still support Hamas’ October 7 “offensive” (atrocities) against Israelis, and only 5% think that Hamas committed war crimes. (See also “Palestinian Arabs Overwhelmingly Support Hamas & Their Genocidal Aspirations – ZOA’s Mort Klein Op-Ed in The Federalist,” Oct. 25, 2023.)

It is also unconscionable that the Biden administration is trying to figure out how to bring Gazans into the United States while innocent Jews and Americans are still being held hostage in dire conditions in Gaza. As the letter to Biden from thirty-four Senators urged, Biden should “redirect [his] efforts to saving the Americans who are still held hostage in Gaza. Our first obligation should be to rescue our own citizens, not Gazans.”

There are still other problems with Biden’s potential plan. One potential proposal is to bring Gazans to the United States who have already escaped to Egypt. However, if they are already located in Egypt, a safe country, they no longer legally qualify as refugees entitled to refugee status in the United States. Another issue is that refugees need to demonstrate that they are fleeing persecution. Does the Biden administration plan to allow false claims that Gazans are being persecuted by our democratic ally, Israel? Will Hamas-sympathizing Gazans dare to claim that they are being persecuted by Hamas?

Gazans largely came from Egypt, the Maghreb (North African countries including Algeria) and other Arab countries in the 1800s and first half of the 1900s. Common Gazan last names include variations of “Al Masri” (from Egypt) and “Mughrabi” (from the Maghreb). These would be the logical destinations for Gazans who wish to leave Gaza. Similarly, the New York Post Editorial Board wrote that “The logical places to host them [Gazans] for now are nearby countries: Egypt (especially those already there!), Jordan, maybe Saudi Arabia or Qatar.” (See “Biden’s Plan to Bring in Gazan Refugees is National Security Insanity,” by Post Editorial Board, May 1, 2024.)

Moreover, Biden is already blocking the deportation of an estimated 6,000 Palestinian Arabs who are currently illegally present in the U.S. Biden’s “deferred enforced departure” order prevents these thousands of Palestinian Arab illegal aliens from being deported for at least the next 18 months – thereby increasing the threats of anti-Israel, anti-American violence on U.S. campuses and streets. (See Pres. Joseph R. Biden, Jr., “Memorandum on the Deferred Enforced Departure for Certain Palestinians,” Feb. 14, 2024; and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service implementation memo, Fed’l Register, Apr. 15, 2024.)

America has already experienced too many horrendous Islamist terror attacks on our soil. Has Biden forgotten the deadly Islamist massacres of Americans at the Orlando Pulse Nightclub; the San Bernadino Christmas party; the Monsey Hanukah party; the Jersey City kosher grocery; the Waukesha, Wisconsin Christmas parade; the Chattanooga, Tennessee U.S. marine base; the Food Hood U.S. army base; and the Boston Marathon? We don’t need more of this.

Roughs for Abbey Show by Martin Beek

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Reading Abbey Exhibition, preparatory work for joint exhibition with artist Keith Lawrence entitled "Journeying"

For the past six weeks I've been working at some new artworks based on Reading Abbey and the town's historic churches. The exhibition will be held in the middle of Reading near the site of its ancient Abbey ruins at Abbey Baptist Church whose foundations were laid in 1642 close to the Holy Brook. These illustrations/prints are still in their early stages. One tends to start a few things to see how certain ideas will work together. I hope to show a selection of about ten of these in September, it's great to look at buildings I've been familiar with one way or another throughout my adult life. I'm not idealising them in any way; I want to show Reading as the busy modern place it is a shopping Mecca, whose medieval past is somehow forgotten, and yet the towers of St Laurence, Mary Minster and the classical portico of St Mary's Castle Street remind one that this was not always the case. Over the past few weeks I've been drawing various people on their way to work on foot, bike or car to fit the theme of Journeying. Gradually the compositions are coming together. At this stage I'm blocking in colour so they appear rather jagged brash and angular in some ways. So far I've started about fourteen works. I have taken hundereds of photographs to aid me, and have studied some of the history in Reading Museum.

From top left St Giles (Church Street), St Laurence (Friar Street), St Laurence, Tower, Reading Abbey and Prison and St Mary Castle Street. Early colour map layouts for prints uncorrected.

I hope to cover some of the following themes in this series:-Reading Gaol/ Abbey Ruins/Contemporary Reading/Trades ancient modern cloth to computers/shopping People walking, cars on bikes/The Holy Brook/ The Kennet/ Ancient paths streets.

The massive Cluiac Abbey of Reading was founded by William of Malmesbury in 1121, many of the town's churches date back to this early period, however with the dissolution of the monestaries and the great upheavals of the C16 and C17 left Reading's ecclesiastical buildings forever changed. Unlike Oxford, Reading had no historic university (until 1892), and its town's history was shaped by trade and its important location on the road between London and Bath and the rivers Kennet and Thames.

Reading's prosperity has meant that its town churches were all heavily restored in the nineteenth century, St Laurence (also recently re-ordered), St Mary Minster (Butts) , Greyfriars and St Giles all have medieval origins and some remains. St Mary Castle Street (Episcopalian) 1798 was by its fine facade with six giant Corinthian columns and pediment is impressive. Its cupola was lost during last century. The portico is by H&N Briant. The church largely dates from 1840-42.

Peony Bud About to Open by Bill Barber

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From my set entitled “Peonies”

www.flickr.com/photos/21861018@N00/sets/72157607186459134/

In my collection entitled “The Garden”

www.flickr.com/photos/21861018@N00/collections/7215760718...

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peony

The peony or paeony (Paeonia) is the only genus in the flowering plant family Paeoniaceae. They are native to Asia, southern Europe and western North America.

Most are herbaceous perennial plants 0.5–1.5 metres tall, but some are woody shrubs up to 1.5–3 metres tall. They have compound, deeply lobed leaves, and large, often fragrant flowers, ranging from red to white or yellow, in late spring and early summer. In the past, the peonies were often classified in the family Ranunculaceae, alongside Hellebores and Anemones.

The peony is named after Paeon or Paean, a student of Asclepius, the Greek god of medicine and healing. Asclepius became jealous of his pupil; Zeus saved Paeon from the wrath of Asclepius by turning him into the peony flower

The peony is among the longest-used flowers in ornamental culture and is one of the smallest living creature national emblems in China. Along with the plum blossom, it is a traditional floral symbol of China, where it is called 牡丹 (mǔ dān). It is also known as 富贵花 (fuguihua) "flower of riches and honour", and is used symbolically in Chinese art.[2] In 1903, the Qing Dynasty declared the peony as the national flower. Currently, the Republic of China on Taiwan designates the plum blossom as the national flower, while the People's Republic of China has no legally designated national flower. In 1994, the peony was proposed as the national flower after a nationwide poll, but the National People's Congress failed to ratify the selection. In 2003, another selection process has begun, but to date, no choice has been made.

The famous ancient Chinese city Luoyang has a reputation as a cultivation centre for the peonies. Throughout Chinese history, peonies in Luoyang are often said to be the finest in the country. Dozens of peony exhibitions and shows are still held there annually.

In Japan, Paeonia lactiflora used to be called ebisugusuri ("foreign medicine"). In kampo (the Japanese adaptation of Chinese medicine), its root was used as a treatment for convulsions. It is also cultivated as a garden plant. In Japan Paeonia suffruticosa is called the "The King of flowers" and Paeonia lactiflora is called the "prime minister of flowers".

Pronunciation of 牡丹 (peony) in Japan is "botan". Before the Meiji period, meat taken from quadrupeds was seldom consumed in Japan due to Buddhism. Thus in cases where such meat was handled, it was paraphrased using the names of flowers. The term botan was used (and is still used) to paraphrase wild boar meat. This comes from the flowery resemblance of the sliced meat when spread over a dish. Another example is sakura (cherry blossoms) which stands for horsemeat.

In 1957, the Indiana General Assembly passed a law to make the peony the state flower of Indiana, a title which it holds to this day. It replaced the zinnia, which had been the state flower since 1931.

Mischievous nymphs were said to hide in the petals of the Peony thus causing this magnificent flower to be given the meaning of Shame or Bashfulness in the Language of Flowers. It was named after Pæon, a physician to the gods, who obtained the plant on Mount Olympus from the mother of Apollo. Once planted the Peony likes to be left alone and punishes those who try to move it by not flowering again for several years. Once established, however, it produces splendid blooms each year for decades (Taken from The Language of Flowers, edited by Sheila Pickles, 1990).

Peonies are also extensively grown as ornamental plants for their very large, often scented flowers.

Peonies tend to attract ants to the flower buds. This is due to the nectar that forms on the outside of the flower buds.

Peonies are a common subject in tattoos, often used along with koi-fish.

Whelen entitlement extension by NASCAR Euro Series

Credits: Scott Hunter / NASCAR

Mr. Brainwash “Einstein” Graffiti by Natasha Marco

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West 4th Street, NYC

by navema

www.navemastudios.com

The controversial documentarian turned artist Mr. Brainwash launched a massively hyped pop art exhibition earlier this year in New York City. Based on the response, the artist re-opened the show entitled ICONS REMIX on Mother’s Day, May 9 2010, and he presented several new art pieces.

The original ICONS show ran from February 14th – March 31st, 2010

Los Angeles based French street artist, Mr. Brainwash (aka Thierry Guetta), celebrated his first solo show in New York with ICONS. Mr. Brainwash is the alter-ego of French immigrant Thierry Guetta, who now lives in Los Angeles. His preoccupation with street art and graffiti led him to years filming the people behind the work, and eventually he became an artist too.

This body of work is the result of traveling throughout Europe and the United States as the subject of Banksy's documentary, Exit Through the Gift Shop. This documentary about the process secretly premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January of 2010. It wasn’t listed in the program, but quickly became the hottest ticket at the festival. Featuring famed street artists like Banksy, Ron English, Borf and Shepard Fairey, the viewer is able to watch the famous fiends at work. One of the most memorable scenes is of Banksy installing an inflatable replica of a Guantanamo torture victim right next to a roller coaster in The Happiest Place On Earth — Disneyland.

Being a trusted accomplice of Banksy is no small feat — and accomplice is perhaps a better word than friend, given that Banksy described Guetta as “maybe just someone with mental problems who happened to have a camera.”

Since his entrance onto the contemporary art scene in 2008 with his Los Angles show “Life is Beautiful”, Mr. Brainwash (Guetta) has raised a lot of questions, namely ‘is he for real?’ Guetta began to follow the exploits street artists’ Shepard Fairey and Banksy with a digital video camera, but soon Banksy turned the camera on Guetta, encouraging him to create his own persona, which is the end product of Exit Through the Gift Shop, the documentary being billed as ‘the world’s first street art disaster movie’. Critics and gallerists alike have written him off as a hack, or simply a regurgitation of Banksy and Shepard Fairey’s existing work.

Held in a two story converted gallery space, at 415 West 13th Street, the show featured pop portraits, prints, and engaging large scale sculptures. An enormous multi-level space packed with jumbo canvases and installations, including a life-size horse made from tire treads. In the middle of the upper level was a pink-splattered can of paint so big you could hold a party inside it. Combining pop art sensibilities with graffiti culture, Mr. Brainwash’s relentless riffing on celebrity culture is at once familiar and colorful. He recasts Angelina Jolie as Marilyn Monroe, smothers a 7′ can of spray-paint with Louis Vuitton’s famous monogram, and recreated Jimi Hendrix on a canvas covered in crushed records. At the back of the room, almost hidden in the dark, was a classic NYC cab sealed inside life-sized Matchbox packaging.

The feeling of the show? A Warholian art revival with walls filled up with dozens of replicant Madonna images, as in Warhol's Campbell's Soup series, so much so that it could be difficult to say if the whole thing is just a joke or Mr. Brainwash really believes he is 'an original'. To underline his artistic personality, though, all the silkscreens were colored with spray paint or had some additional details.

Regardless of sentiment, Guetta’s work draws a crowd. Without endorsing or refuting his credibility as an artist, Brainwash certainly fulfilled the exhibitions’ namesake. Under his nom de guerre, Guetta created or reproduced images that are easily identifiable; the subjects are no longer individuals, but rather logos in our collective cultural memory.

For more about the artist, visit: www.mrbrainwash.com

Red Bags: Over the shoulder by Jeremy Bai

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I'm starting a short series entitled Red Bags. If you walk around Chinatown, you cannot fail to see them. Come here to go shoping, and more likely than not you will end up with some of your stuff in a little red bag. I've captured what I think are some interesting moments and people involving red bags. Hope you enjoy this series.

Peonies in the North Garden by Bill Barber