Interesting.

Artist Jim Denevan is a pretty unique artist. Instead of canvas, he uses beaches. Amazingly, he draws them completely free hand without any measuring tools and they can span miles. So cool. Please check his website out: http://www.jimdenevan.com/

While I'm On a Roll With Poetry..

I can't help but give a quick mention to my favorite poem ever, Charge of the Light Brigade by Alfred Lord Tennyson. It is absolutely excellent. I first read it in seventh grade English class and have always appreciated it. Please read it.

Half a league half a league,

Half a league onward,

All in the valley of Death Rode the six hundred:

'Forward, the Light Brigade!

Charge for the guns' he said:

Into the valley of Death Rode the six hundred.

'Forward, the Light Brigade!'

Was there a man dismay'd ?

Not tho' the soldier knew

Some one had blunder'd:

Theirs not to make reply,

Theirs not to reason why,

Theirs but to do & die,

Into the valley of Death

Rode the six hundred.

Cannon to right of them,

Cannon to left of them,

Cannon in front of them

Volley'd & thunder'd;

Storm'd at with shot and shell,

Boldly they rode and well,

Into the jaws of Death,

Into the mouth of Hell

Rode the six hundred.

Flash'd all their sabres bare,

Flash'd as they turn'd in air

Sabring the gunners there,

Charging an army while

All the world wonder'd:

Plunged in the battery-smoke

Right thro' the line they broke;

Cossack & Russian Reel'd from the sabre-stroke,

Shatter'd & sunder'd.

Then they rode back, but not

Not the six hundred.

Cannon to right of them,

Cannon to left of them,

Cannon behind them

Volley'd and thunder'd;

Storm'd at with shot and shell,

While horse & hero fell,

They that had fought so well

Came thro' the jaws of Death,

Back from the mouth of Hell,

All that was left of them,

Left of six hundred.

When can their glory fade?

O the wild charge they made!

All the world wonder'd.

Honour the charge they made!

Honour the Light Brigade,

Noble six hundred!

Wow.

I just watched Invictus today with my parents and I loved it. It was excellent. Morgan Freemon's character, Nelson Mandella, quoted this poem by William Ernest Henley called Invictus (how appropriate). I think it's magnificent, so here's a copy. Please take time to read it and think about it's meaning.

Out of the night that covers me,

Black as the Pit from pole to pole,

I thank whatever gods may be

For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance

I have not winced nor cried aloud.

Under the bludgeonings of chance

My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears

Looms but the Horror of the shade,

And yet the menace of the years

Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,

How charged with punishments the scroll.

I am the master of my fate:

I am the captain of my soul.

Fotografo!

I recently stumbled upon Photographer Christopher Payne and his book Asylum: Inside the Closed World of State Mental Hospitals. He spent six years documenting these super sweet old buildings where in 1948 more than half a million people were being kept. Super spooky. These buildings really are magnificent though.. please check out the book!

OHMYGOODNESS.

I just found one of my new favorite painters. His colors are amazing. Joseph Mallord William Turner. Long name= awesome painter. Please check him out. I beg you. He rocks my world.. so much..

As For A Super Awesome Landscape Painter..

..check out Georges Michel. True, many of his paintings are a little similar, but also true that I like them anyways. His clouds are fantastic.

Camille Pissarro.

Born 10 July 1830 – St. Thomas, Caribbean, died 13 November 1903 - Paris, France. He was a French impressionist artist and anarchist. He has some pretty nice paintings, check him out.

So. Incredible.

Autistic artist Stephen Wiltshire took a twenty-minute helicopter ride over Manhattan. Afterword he sketched the ENTIRE SKYLINE from memory. And it's beautiful. Every single building was correctly placed and drawn to scale. He's also done panoramic memory drawings of Tokyo, Rome, Hong Kong, Frankfurt, Madrid, Dubai, Jerusalem and London. Please read this article about him: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE5A234J20091103. :)

My All-Time Favorite Quote.

I absolutely love this quote. It's part of Teddy Roosevelt's Citizenship in a Republic, "Man in the Arena" speech. Simply excellent.

"It is not the critic who counts, not the one who points out how the strong man stumbled or how the doer of deeds might have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred with sweat and dust and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who, if he wins, knows the triumph of high achievement; and who, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory or defeat."

Found This.

A painting I did a loooong time ago. I'm really glad that I found it.. I really like it. I mean it's not technically exquisite by any means but I like the atmosphere of it.

I'm Feeling A Quick Cute Animal Blog.

This is how I feel all bundled up to brave the winter chillllllllz:

..And for good measure, here's some cute baby foxes :)

Mixed Emotions.

I feel so funny seeing Harry Potter people in muggle clothing. Modern muggle clothing, at that. And Hermoine should be leaning on Ron. She does want to snog him after all. And please don't ruin the last book for me. I don't know what happens. I'm waiting for the movie.. shh.

Hah. Hah. Hah.

I got my friend Justin this for Christmas. Coincidentally, it was in my dream last night. Importance? I do not know. Anyway, I'm pretty sure I think this calender is funnier than most people do, but I'm posting it anyways. :)

Birdies. I Cannot Resist Thee.

Shocker. Molly likes a painting of a bird. But really.. I like it a lot. http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=32081003

Etching is So Cool.

I wish I knew how to do it. One of these days I'm going to devote a blog to it. But not today. My brain is all over the place and I can't concentrate. Instead, enjoy these etchings by Zoe Stewart.

I Love These.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/rafya

Can't Decide..

...Whether or not I like Dana Komjaty's work. I think I do. I mean, the colors rule. And most of her stuff rules. Check her prints out on Etsy and lemme know what you think. http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=29261303 I think my problem with it is that it's sooo girly. Or maybe I feel like it's illustration for a children's story? Still.. I can't not like it.

In My Opinion.. Awesome.

Wayne Levin. Photographer. Rad as heck. He photographs everything from fish to surfers to canoe paddlers to sharks. So basically water related. PLEASE check him out. TOTALLY worth your time. http://www.waynelevinimages.com/images/index.php?album=WATER%20PEOPLE

It basically took all I had in me not to post more pictures than this. So many excellent ones to choose from.