Canterbury - Kent

Sergie Bongart - the art of contrast

Zhaoming Wu - A great Chinese artist

Zhaoming Wu was born in China and grew up in Guangzhou City. He received his BFA from the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Art China and his MFA from the Academy of Art University, San Francisco.

Since 1983, he has been exhibitng his work in Asia, Europe, the United States and other countries around the world. He has won numerous awards, including the Merit Award at the 6th National Art Exhibition in Beijing, China, the Gustafson Fund Award, the National Oil and Acrylic Painter's Society (US) Award, 1st place in the 9th Biennial National Figure Painting and Drawing Exhibition in Mendocino Art Center, California, Grand Prize Winner in International Artist Magazine (Aug/Sept 2005), the Daler-Rowney Award from the Oil Painters of America 2000, and the Art Distributors Awards of Excellence from the Oil Painters of America 2005.

Confidence by Alice Heath ... a great sculpture artist

... and it was quite a Snow fall

Snow in Amman - expected tomorrow

Quiet ride in Italy by Kathryn Stats

Last five minutes by Marc Hansen

From the Guardian - Gaza

'If you bottle up 1.5 million people in a territory 25 miles long and six miles wide, and turn off the lights, as Israel has done in Gaza, the bottle will burst. This is what happened yesterday when tens of thousands of Gazans poured into Egypt to buy food, fuel and supplies after militants destroyed two-thirds of the wall separating the Gaza Strip from Egypt. It was the biggest jail break in history.'
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/story/0,,2245703,00.html

Candles for Gaza - In Solidarity

Photos are courtsy of Alfalasteeniya site.

Blakout in besieged Gaza City

The Gaza Strip’s only power plant has shut down as Israel’s blockade has dried up fuel supplies. Tonight Gazans are living in darkness as the second of the plant's two working turbines was switched off on the third day of a crippling Israeli blockade of the territory. At least 800,000 people are now in darkness.

Sunday’s shutdown has prompted fears of a humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.This catastrophe is affecting hospitals, medical clinics, water wells, sewage treatment plants, water facilities, factories, homes— all aspects of life. Palestinians said the worst affected could be the health sector, with hospitals failing to provide services in the absence of electricity.

Food supplies have dwindled, thanks to Israel’s blockade. And now there is no bread. Bakeries stopped operating because they did not have power or flour. Gazans are protesting in the streets—asking for bread.

Israel’s targeting of a Palestinian government office on Jan. 18, which caused serious casualties at a nearby wedding party was a “war crime” and those responsible should be punished, a United Nations official said yesterday. John Dugard, UN special rapporteur on the human rights situation in the occupied territories, slammed the killing of Palestinians in other attacks and the closing of border crossings.

“The killing of some 40 Palestinians in Gaza in the past week, the targeting of a government office near a wedding party venue with what must have been foreseen loss of life and injury to many civilians, and the closure of all crossings into Gaza raise very serious questions about Israel’s respect for international law and its commitment to the peace process,” Dugard said in a statement.

“Those responsible for such cowardly action are guilty of serious war crimes and should be prosecuted and punished for their crimes,” Dugard said.

Israel seals Gaza, continues attacks on trapped Palestinian popultion

Three days after killing at least 30 Palestinians in helicopter and tank attacks on the Gaza Strip—and just one week after President George W. Bush met in Israel with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and other top officials—Israel on Friday, Jan. 18 ordered all border crossings into Gaza temporarily closed as it continued its deadly attacks on more than 1.5 million Palestinians already denied food, clean water, electricity and medical supplies. Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak announced that the transfer of medicines and humanitarian aid into Gaza now will be allowed “only in exceptional circumstances.”

James Neil Hollingsworth art

Is this a real Cherry Can? Are these real Cherries? Wrong. This is Oil on Canvas.

Karen Hollingsworth art

Fantastic. Feel the wind and note the tenderness of the cloth. Observe the light shades. God damn, this is Oil on Canvas.

أجمل الكلام

إذا لم تعلم أين تذهب، فكل الطرق تفي بالغرض

لا تطعن في ذوق زوجتك، فقد اختارتك أولا

من يطارد عصفورين يفقدهما جميعاً

المرأة هي نصف المجتمع وهي التي تلد و تربي النصف الآخر

كلما ارتفع الإنسان ، تكاثفت حوله الغيوم والمحن

The Human Mind

I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid! Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.

Tallulah Bankhead quote

If I could return to youth, I would commit all those errors again, but a bit earlier.

Goldman Sachs says the US is in a recession

This is one of the serious news articles that I read today. It is Goldman Sachs judgement. It might not be correct but such an institution is professioal and the statement will have a number of implications. Goldman Sachs says the US is in a recession

Henry Paulson's old company, Goldman Sachs is yet another high profile, highly successful business that sees a US recession.

"Over the past few months, we have become increasingly concerned that the US housing and credit market downturn would trigger not just a growth slowdown and substantial Fed easing -- our long-standing view -- but also an outright recession," Goldman Sachs said in a note to clients Wednesday. "The latest data suggest that recession has now arrived, or will very shortly."The recent rise in unemployment is particularly worrisome, Goldman indicated.

Inspirational

Inspirational

The Secret of a Happy Life

A walker noticed an old lady sitting on her front step, so he walked up to her and said, "I couldn't help noticing how happy you look! What is your secret for such a long, happy life?"

"I smoke ten cigars a day," she said. "Before I go to bed, I smoke a nice big joint. Apart from that, I drink a whole bottle of Jack Daniels every week, and eat only junk food. On week-ends, I pop pills and do no exercise at all."

"That is absolutely amazing at your age!", says the walker. "How old are you?"

"Twenty-four," she replied.

2008

This is a nice picture I received from a friend on this New Year start.

2007 was a good year on a personal level. However, I am optimistic that 2008 will be a better year than 2007 at least on the World politics level.

A Picture with a Soul

I have ran across a number of exceptional pictures. Each deserve to be called: A Picture with a Soul. Here are two examples.

Sergei Bongart (1918-1985) - The Art of contrast

Sergei Bongart is one of the very talented and famous artists. A Russian/American painter 1918-1985.

Communicating on his successful technique, he wrote:

You have to put the right spot of color in the right place! And, the best exercise for training the eye was to exaggerate or overstate the color and then work from there, always comparing the relationships of one color to another, one value to another;how light or dark, how warm or how cool.

Sergei emphasized: More contrast. More contrast. To create, you must think: cool, warm, related co-lor, reflected co-lor, dark, light, thick, thin, dissimilar spaces, opposite contrasting movements—like in music, fast, slow, soft, loud; but all must relate to create symphony both on canvas or in music hall. Every painting needs active and quiet areas and feeling of poetry and drama. If painting gray day, make it gray. Use gray and silver. If painting sunny day, use oranges, red, yellows, greens—make it happy. Every element of painting must tie together, must have unity, must express mood.

Before you begin, ask yourself what should be seen first within your painting, and what you want to say about it. Areas of greatest contrast will attract the most attention. This is your first reading. A strong composition usually facilitates three good readings.

Understand the basis of composing a picture in color. No color should be viewed in isolation, but rather in constant relation to what is around it. A color is what it appears to be only because of its relationship to the surrounding colors. Nothing exists in isolation. Each previous color choice must be re-evaluated as a new color is placed along side of it. If you change one color, you have in effect changed them all.

When we paint, we really aren't copying the colors of nature, we are painting the color relationships. We don't have the color palette that nature has, so we must give the illusion of truth through the relationships of the colors we choose.

As in chess, try to think several moves ahead, painting the color relationships that are deemed integral to the picture. Always make the next most important move. Don't paint in nose highlights, for instance, before you have established the background colors.

It is vital at the start of a painting to cover the white of the canvas with chosen silhouettes of color. Do this as soon as possible. A white canvas masks the truth of the color relationships. Toning the canvas can help eliminate the glare of white, but does nothing to establish the true harmonies between each color.

Work around the canvas two or three times or more before moving to any detail. It is entirely possible, and often advisable, to spend 90% of your time merely adjusting the big, simple shapes before ever moving to the rendering. Once this is satisfactory, the chosen style or technique can be completed with confidence, up to and including ultra-tight realism.

The talent of Kathryn Stats

Kathryn Stats is one of the gifted painters whose work I find worthy of being rated at World Class level.

On Christmas night in Palestine

This is the best Christmas card I have seen so far. It is very expressive of the racist and immoral wall built by Israel. While the whole world is dismantling borders and barriers, Israel has built a wall that has trapped the Paletinians in a big prison. It is an apartheid wall that must be dismantled. For more information on the wall, link to Youtube and search for "Wall of Hate".

10 minutes drawing techniques

These episodes by Moat DD are very well prepared, easy to follow and a nice way to learn art techniques. See them on my Video bar.

Candy Apple by Duane Keiser.

Outstanding educational and enjoyable art work by Duane Keiser.

Sunflower by Duane Keiser

Brillient educational and enjoyable art work by Duane Keiser.

City of Perth by Marc Hansen

A Fountain Pen - Writing from the heart

"My two fingers on a typewriter have never connected with my brain. My hand on a pen does. A fountain pen, of coarse. Ball-point pens are only good for filling out forms on a plane". Graham Greene.

Writing with a Fountain Pen is superior to writing with any other types of pen. I find it most enjoyable. When I strike the combination of a good Fountain Pen and good Paper, the writing quality would be at its best and I achieve a satisfying pleasure. This is an experience and joy only felt by the Fountain Pen passionates.

My preference is still a Diplomat Medium size 7. Unfortunately Diplomat are not producing this classic type any more.

Amman in a picture

Congratulations for Aziz Sajdi for getting the second prize for the photographic contest entitled: Amman in a picture.

Second place out of 275 is quite an achievement. Well done Aziz.

Istanbul

A photo from Kennedy Caddesi. In addition to the most beautiful architecture and historical buildings, Istanbul has magnificent natural scenes making it one of my favourite cities. Kennedy Caddesi is a long Corniche road. This particular photo is taken from a spot at the tip of the Old town 1 Km before turning into the entrances of the Bosphorus and the Golden Horn. Shot angle is towards the Sea of Marmara. Istanbul ..... what a beautiful city.

The Source of the Nile at Jinja

This is one the unique places which I was pleased to visit. It is station 0+00 of the start of the Nile from Lake Victoria in Uganda. The start is fixed as an iron bench mark insertd into the concrete block seen in the right hand side photo.

The water begins to flow from Lake Victoria to the Mediterranean Sea. It takes water 3 months to complete this journey of 6400 Km.

The falls that John Speke saw in 1862, naming them the “Rippon Falls” after the President of the Royal Geographic Society in London, submerged in 1947 on the construction of the Giant Owen Falls Dam. The dam was completed in 1954, harnesses the head long rush of water from the lake to produce hydro electric power of Uganda.

“Omugga Kiyira” is the local name for River Nile.

On the western bank of the river is an obelisk marking the spot where Speke stood for hours when he saw the source of the River Nile, making it known to the outside world.

Why did'nt I think of that?

CUP & COOKIES Smart cup in which you can put 2-3 of your favourite cookies. You don't need extra plates. It's made for right handed and left handed.

TOILET SEAT LIFTER 'Who left the Toilet Seat up?' The PeaceMaker will end the battle of the toilet seat. Merely step on the pedal to activate the lifting mechanism. When finished, remove your foot from the pedal and the seat gently comes to a rest where it started.

LASER SCISSORS Laser ScissorsCutting a straight line has never been easier. Just aim the pin-point laser and follow the line. The scissor blades are stainless steel and cut very clean with a micro serrated edge.

The Golden Mountains - South Africa

Minutes before sunset, the sun rays strike a series of montains in the Orange Free State in South Africa. The mountains turn golden in one of the most fascinating views I have ever seen.

Lesotho

I have taken this picture in Maseru on one early morning.

The Maldives

I have been very fortunate to visit the Maldives a number of times for business. The country of the white sand and turquoise waters. The people of the Maldives are very friendly and peacefull. The language is Dhivehi. It is one of the countries mentioned by Ibn Battuta during his travels.

Ibn Battuta described in his book how the people of the Maldives converted to Islam. This story is engraved on a 3 meters wooden block that is kept now in the National Museum.

The three-storied museum is located in the Sultan Park in Malé, which is part of the site of the Maldivian Royal Palace compound dating back to the 17th century. The two-storey Us-gēkolhu is also the only remaining structure of the palace demolished in 1968.

The interior of the museum has been retained from the days of the Sultanate, including the handwritten Qur'an engraved on the walls of the building.

When in Male, ask :"Maaf kurey ... Dhaarul Aasaarah dhaa magu bunedhee bala?". You will find the Maldivian pleased to give you the information politely. Shukriyyaa with a smile must be your acknowledgment.

Abu Abdullah Muhammad Ibn Battuta (Arabic: أبو عبد الله محمد ابن بطوطة) (born February 24, 1304; year of death uncertain, possibly 1368 or 1377) was an Islamic scholar and at times a Qadi or judge. However, he is best known as a traveler and explorer, whose account documents his travels and excursions over a period of almost thirty years, covering some 117,000 km. These journeys covered almost the entirety of the known Islamic world and beyond, extending from West Africa, North Africa, Southern Europe and Eastern Europe in the west, to Pakistan, India, the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia and China in the east, a distance readily surpassing that of his predecessors and his near-contemporary Marco Polo.

At the instigation of the Sultan of Morocco, Abu Inan Faris, several years after his return, Ibn Battuta dictated an account of his journeys to a scholar named Ibn Juzayy, whom he had met while in Granada. This account, recorded by Ibn Juzayy and interspersed with the latter's own comments, is the primary source of information for his adventures. The title of this initial manuscript may be translated as A Gift to Those Who Contemplate the Wonders of Cities and the Marvels of Travelling, but is often simply referred to as the Rihla, or "Journey". Whilst apparently fictional in places, the Rihla still gives as complete an account as exists of some parts of the world in the 14th century.

Ibn Battuta described the wooden block which you can see in the photo. A clear evidance that he has been to the Maldives defying a German Professor who claimed that Ibn Battuta's travels are his own fantasy.

Jerusalem by Tamim Barghouthi

Brilliant poem and superb recital.

See my YouTube selection for Tamim's poems.

Baobab tree - Tanzania

Adansonia digitata, or Baobab tree, was named in honour of Michel Adanson, the naturalist who first saw it in Senegal, Africa about 1750.

The Baobab tree is a strange looking tree that grows in low-lying areas in Africa and Australia. It can grow to enormous sizes and carbon dating indicates that they may live to be 3,000 years old. One ancient hollow Baobab tree in Zimbabwe is so large that up to 40 people can shelter inside its trunk. Various Baobabs have been used as a shop, a prison, a house, a storage barn and a bus shelter.
When bare of leaves, the spreading branches of the Baobab look like roots sticking up into the air, rather as if it had been planted upside-down. The African bushman has a legend that tells of the god Thora. He took a dislike to the Baobab growing in his garden, so he threw it out over the wall of Paradise on to Earth below, and although the tree landed upside-down it continued to grow. The tree is certainly very different from any other. The trunk is smooth and shiny, not at all like the bark of other trees, and it is pinkish grey or sometimes copper coloured.

The Baobab tree has large whitish flowers which open at night. The fruit, which grows up to a foot long, contains tartaric acid and vitamin C and can either be sucked, or soaked in water to make a refreshing drink. They can also be roasted and ground up to make a coffee-like drink. The fruit is not the only part of the Baobab that can be used. The bark is pounded to make rope, mats, baskets, paper and cloth; the leaves can be boiled and eaten, and glue can be made from the pollen.

It is not surprising that such a strange looking tree should have superstitions linked to it. Some people believe that if you pick a flower from a Baobab tree you will be eaten by a lion, but if you drink water in which a Baobab's seeds have been soaked you will be safe from crocodile attack.
Baobabs are very difficult to kill, they can be burnt, or stripped of their bark, and they will just form new bark and carry on growing. When they do die, they simply rot from the inside and suddenly collapse, leaving a heap of fibres, which makes many people think that they don't die at all, but simply disappear.

An old Baobab tree can create its own ecosystem, as it supports the life of countless creatures, from the largest of mammals to the thousands of tiny creatures scurrying in and out of its crevices. Birds nest in its branches; baboons devour the fruit; bush babies and fruit bats drink the nectar and pollinate the flowers, and elephants have been known to chop down and consume a whole tree.

A Baby Baobab tree looks very different from its adult form and this is why the Bushmen believe that it doesn't grow like other trees, but suddenly crashes to the ground with a thump, fully grown, and then one day simply disappears. No wonder they are thought of as magic trees.
Baobabs, grown from seed, are a popular choice for cultivation as bonsai plants.