Wordless Wednesday: Hopper Exhibit

--Edward Hopper, The "Martha McKeen" of Wellfleet, 1944, oil on canvas,

81.5 x 127.5 cm, Carmen Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection

on deposit at Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid, Spain

This Edward Hopper exhibit will be moving on to Paris and the Grand Palais in a couple of weeks.

Wordless Wednesday

Baby Elephant Jump . . .

Jumping makes one hungry! 

City Art Saturday: Cacti

My city is in the Blackland Prairies region of Texas, but one would think we were farther west:

 --These cacti catch the eye

 --Even though we are in a drought, the sprinklers have rusted the iron flowers! Ironic!

--But the sculptures are nice touch to a generic strip mall . . . 

August Olla

Video from Bob Schneider on Austin City Limits:

--cannot wait to see him in concert soon

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A couple of shows new to BBC America that I just watched and enjoyed:

Luther, starring Idris Elba

and 

Copper, starring Tom Weston-Jones

There's something about British detective shows that I really enjoy. They have an edge to them. Speaking of Tom Weston-Jones, I just watched the last 6 episodes of spooks/MI-5. Weston-Jones was featured prominently as Sasha Gavrik. Well, MI-5 will go down as one of my all time favorites. I thought they ended the show nicely. Of course, someone I liked had to die, as in ALL of the previous seasons. As long as it wasn't Harry Pearce. If you haven't seen this series, I highly recommend you taking the time. Many episodes are predictable and formulaic, but I enjoyed all the spy stuff. Of course, I screamed when they showed a certain character in the final episode. Excellent! I especially enjoyed how they portrayed spy work getting in the way of the spooks real lives. Such good stories. Farewell to spooks. 

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Speaking of TV, can I just mention my excitement at seeing Kenneth Branagh as Wallander again? The third series of Wallander debuts on Masterpiece Mystery! in the U.S. on September 9th. Here is the promo (Wallander looks a little more energetic):

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"The Last Book Sale" was held recently in Archer City, Texas. This was the sale of Larry McMurtry's extensive book collection. To read about the sale, click HERE for author/blogger Mark Finn's account. My brief account of my one and only visit to Booked Up is HERE.

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Have a Happy Friday!

Wordless Wednesday: Shakin' Off the Blues by Iris Scott

--Shakin' Off the Blues, Iris Scott, oil on canvas, 36 in. x 36 in.

(This artist fingerpaints--see http://irisscottprints.com)

Thanks to one of my friends for pinning this on Pinterest.

Wordless Wednesday

A Cupboard Full of Coats by Yvvette Edwards

Welcome to the first stop on the A Cupboard Full of Coats book blog tour!

--Yvvette Edwards, author of A Cupboard Full of Coats

Speaking of firsts, A Cupboard Full of Coats is the first book by Londoner Yvvette Edwards and was first published in June 2011. A new edition with this current beautiful cover was just published in July 2012. This novel was long listed for the Man Booker Prize in 2011. Having just read the winner for 2011, Julian Barnes' The Sense of an Ending, I jumped at the chance to read and review this one for TLC Book Tours.

--the current cover of A Cupboard Full of Coats

I was not disappointed. And I probably liked this book a little better than I did the Barnes book, only because Cupboard was more emotional and cathartic for me at the present time. 

A Cupboard Full of Coats is about the fallout from a murder 14 years in the past. There are four main characters, one of which is the narrator. Jinx is the daughter of the murder victim and feels responsible for what happened to her mother. I was intrigued and hooked into continuing to read, because I had to know why a 16 year old would feel responsible for a murder she did not commit. 

Lemon, short for Philemon, is another character that visits Jinx out of the blue one day. Together they relive the past and clear some misconceptions that this man knows Jinx has about the murder. His wife has just died and he has a mission to try to fix what he thinks was his part in what happened years ago. Lemon is one of those book characters that I admire and would love to know in real life. I wish I had his wisdom and forgiveness and grace. He is a beautiful character that cooks, comforts, dances, loves, and experiences life to the fullest.

--the first cover of A Cupboard Full of Coats by Yvvette Edwards

The other two main characters are seen only in flashback and they are not as fully developed as Jinx and Lemon. Since the point of view is from Jinx, we can never know fully these two characters issues and motivations. However, like everyone else, they crave love. They cannot accept anything they feel is less than they deserve, even to the detriment of others.

So many issues were addressed in this wonderful book. These include spousal/partner abuse, infidelity, lack of communication, teen pregnancy, as well as redemption, forgiveness, and most importantly, love. 

I highly recommend A Cupboard Full of Coats and I look forward to Ms. Edwards next book. For participating in the tour, I received a paperback copy of the novel. I will definitely be sharing this book with my reading friends. For a list of the participants on the book blog tour of A Cupboard Full of Coats, please click HERE. 

City Art Saturday: Horse

City Art Saturday--my new series featuring art from around my city . . . Enjoy!

 --This horse is located at the downtown Plano DART station.

--Such detail!

Wordless Wednesday: Street Art Rain

--to celebrate the rain to break the 100-degree F weather (from www.streetartutopia.com)

Wordless Wednesday

Works by Venezuelan Artist Rafael Araujo

One of my coworkers recently told me about an artist from her native Venezuela. His name is Rafael Araujo and he has 3 basic themes that he paints: landscape, calculation, and abstract. Check out his site. My coworker has one of his beach scenes hanging in her office and to look at it is a nice respite from work . . . The landscapes are real landmarks located in Venezuela. Enjoy!

From his landscape series:

--Tepuy with river, Rafael Araujo, acrylic/canvas, 20.32 in. x 38.1 in.

--Los Roques, Rafael Araujo, acrylic/canvas, 80 cm. x 160 cm.

From his calculation series:

--Couble Conic Sprial, Rafael Araujo, 2004, Ink and acrylic/canvas, 7.1 in. x 39.3 in.

From his abstract series:

--Untitled, Rafael Araujo, acrylic/canvas, 110 cm. x 160 cm.

Wordless Wednesday: Motion

--Wave, Santiago Calatrava, 40' x 90',

black granite, Meadows Museum, Dallas, Texas

Wordless Wednesday

Fun Video Friday: 70s Flashback

Wordless Wednesday: Street Art

--from Street Art Utopia (http://www.streetartutopia.com)

Wordless Wednesday