I hope Christmas has enough days in it to finish my holiday card process, plus a poll on what to buy

[gurdonark]

Last night we went to the holiday party for my wife's extended family. For the first time during this holiday season, we dined on smoked turkey, which was divine. The party was held in one of my wife's aunt's homes, which had all sorts of neat curios and decorations to review when one was out of conversational skills to share.

I never appreciated the possibility that our modern fragmented families offer for juvenile loot acquisition until one cousin pointed out that this was her daughter's seventh Christmas present opening celebration. One had been with her father, one with her father's wife's family, one with her mother and mother's new husband, one with father's parents, one with mother's new husband's parents, one with wife's extended family and one "wild card" I cannot recall as I sit here now. Each gathering had ample gifts--Santa Claus has seven faces.

Fortunately, the family's extended gathering follows the "gift exchange" method, in which one gives one "nice" gift within the extended family rather than numerous gifts to numerous more distant family members. I was pleased that the little quilt I had found in downtown McKinney went over quite well. I love quilts, so it was nice to see that others feel the same way, too.

I've mailed out a good few holiday cards and kazoos this week, and will mail out more when I return to Texas. Today, though, we drive down to see my uncle, aunt, and cousins in Tulsa. The heavy snow we encountered on the drive up is entirely gone. I hope we get a moment to take a nice walk in a park or botanical garden today.

But now for the important part. I ask for suggestions on how to use a holiday gift certificate.

[Poll #87119]

Comments

[kelquestor.livejournal.com]

I want to read ALL those books! Your contributors have great taste Robert. But that's obvious in their choice to read your LJ, isn't it?

Your holiday seems like the ideal for this time of year Robert, travelling and appreciating the place you live in, connecting and reconnecting with family and friends, and spending time enjoying yourself. I trust you continue to enjoy it.

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

I have great contributors, and am pleased with each book selection. This has indeed been a grand holiday. I'm amazed it's over so quickly.

[nutmeggie.livejournal.com]

"Santa Claus has seven faces."

You know, my children attend a sporting event every Saturday afternoon. Last Saturday, we had to bring presents with our child's name, so they could be distributed by "Santa." This goes against what I tell my children, that they only get ONE thing from Santa (only because my husband insists on Santa, so this is our compromise) but I did not want my children to be standing alone with no gift. They wanted to go to the party, so I told them that I was the one buying the gift, it's really just a pretend Santa, and keep that a secret so the other kids won't know.

Now, my son is only just turned seven, so he kept the secret only about as well as could be expected and he told one other child that it was not really Santa giving the gifts. The kid in question could have cared less, but his mother threw a fit a ME because I "ruined the whole thing for everybody."

My point is, it's just too much, like you point out.

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

Interesting story, and the parent's reaction was telling.

books about art

[nacowafer.livejournal.com]

Hi Bob...I've been thinking about books about art and how it is I've come to hold certain convictions so deeply. Still not sure, but was just now looking at my bookshelf and have a few suggestions for you.

My first suggestion is, on the surface, related to a specific movement, but it really speaks to art in general and establishes an art historical method which compares works from all periods and cultures. Very good for thinking about "what is art?" and "what are the aims of art?" The work is The Blaue Reiter Almanac of Kandinsky and Marc. It's basic tenant is that art is about "this struggle for the spiritual, this fight for a new synthesis" and holds firm to the belief that art has nothing to do with "imitation of nature and the representation of reality." Yay! Included are discussions of folk art, children's art, art from the far east, and a discussion of the synthesis of art and music. In "On the Question of Form," Kandinsky makes some very cogent points about art criticism. This one is a gem: "All the rules discovered in earlier art and those to be discovered later--which art historians value too highly--are not general rules: they do not lead to art. If I know the craft of carpentry, I will always be able to make a table. But one who knows the supposed rules of painting will never be sure of creating a work of art...The practical result: one should never trust a theoretician (art historian, critic, etc.) who asserts that he has discovered some objective mistake in a work...from this point of view...art criticism is the worst enemy of art." Da Capo has published an English translation of the Almanac. This work tops my list of recommendations. I think you'd really enjoy it. It always stops me cold to remember that Marc died so young in the battlefield. What a different world we might live in had he continued to write and paint...

I would also recommendHerschel B. Chipp's Theories of Modern Art: A Source Book by Artists and Critics. It has a wealth of documents and commentary...I return to it again and again. I think it's very important to try to understand art from the perspective of the artist and this is a very good compilation of artists writing about art. Also a very good bibliography.

Re: psychology and art, try works by Rudolph Arnheim, especially Visual Thinking and Art and Visual Perception: A Psychology of the Creative Eye.

Re: books about art

[nacowafer.livejournal.com]

oops! Hit post comment too soon!

Hope this is useful--I really do think you'd get something out of The Blau Reiter Alamanac. Let me know what you turn up.

Re: books about art

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

Thanks for all these recommendations on art books. I've not read any of them, so this will give me a reading project. I'll let you know what I learn as I go.

[serendipoz.livejournal.com]

I'm expecting you'll be writing reviews of the books, you know, ...

I think - if I was given the choice - rather than buy a book on art history, I'd buy a warren MacKenzie pot.

Here's a web page: http://www.studiopottery.com/potters/mackenziewarren.html.

It does help that he lives about five miles down the road from where I work and his studio/salesroom is open 24 hours/day year round - though sometimes you have to go through the house to get to it when the snow is high.

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

Cool. I'll check him out.

I wish to read ALL of the books, but I'll have to do some library work/half.com work to fit them all within my budget!