Perhaps it's because a giant reproduction of "Two Cats" hung above my parents' headboard (my dad painted it for my mom), but I've always loved Vallotton's artwork.
Allow me to introduce (or perhaps reintroduce)you to Félix Edouard Vallotton (December 28, 1865 – December 29, 1925), a Swiss painter and printmaker.
Vallotton is probably best known for his high-contrast woodcut prints depicting domestic scenes. The use of pure black and white and clean shapes are hallmarks of his woodcuts. He is credited with reviving interest in woodcut as an artistic medium (as opposed to commercial wood engraving). Vallotton was greatly influenced by the art of Japanese woodcut and his prints found an eager market in the 1890s when European interest in Japanese art and culture was high.
"La Raison Probante" (The Compelling Reason) - 1898
"Le Violin" (The Violin) - 1896
I really enjoy Vallotton's work for its simplicity and cartoonish qualities; the woodcuts use minimal lines and shapes to portray the image, while I find the use of color in his paintings to be attractively muted. Some of Vallotton's more frequent subject matter also holds appeal for me; scenes home life and cats--what's not to love?
"Le Diner, effet de lampe" (The Dinner, effect of lamp) - 1899
In case you haven't noticed (see my header), I can confidently say that Vallotton is one of my artistic influences. There is just something I really enjoy about black and white, stamp-like images.
I'm looking forward to sharing more works by Vallotton and other artists I admire in future posts.
What do you think--are you a fan of Felix Vallotton, too?
P.S. Here is an interesting editorial from The Guardian overviewing Vallotton's career.
Thinner by Stephen King (writing as Richard Bachman) Horror 1984
For Mature Readers
While scanning my husband's books for something new to read, I was surprised find a horror story based on a man's mysterious weightloss. The sheer inventiveness of the plotline sparked my interest in reading "Thinner" by Stephen King.
Although I enjoy a good thriller/sci-fi/mystery, I've never been a great fan of Stephen King. Years and years ago I read "Delores Claiborne" and in 2011 I read "It". From this limited exposure, I found that King ventures into territory that is a bit weirder than I prefer and so I haven't read many of his stories.
Thinner was my third attempt at a Stephen King novel and I liked it much better than the sometimes-boring "Delores Claiborne" or the very long and complex "It".
Billy Halleck, a 249-lbs, 30-something lawyer, is the protagonist and, at the outset, he qualifies himself as the typical uppercrust citizen of the snobby, sleepy town of Fairview. He knows all the "right" people and those connections exert their influence after Billy runs over an old gypsy woman. A trial is held and the court swiftly clears Billy, but they gypsies are convinced of his guilt.
A few weeks after the trial, Billy notices weight coming off without effort. It's every overweight person's dream come true--lose weight while eating whatever you want. However, Billy soon finds that the dream is more of a nightmare when he can't stop losing and eventually links his malady to the gypsies he wronged.
During the course of the story King lets us see the subtle changes from Billy-the-hot-stuff-lawyer to Billy-the-desperate-outcast as he seeks to undo the curse that plagues him. As he loses weight, Billy's eyes open to the hypocrisy of life in Fairview and the changes in Billy's demeanor create a rift between in his relationships with friends and family.
I enjoyed how Billy became a more likeable character as the story progressed. We are privileged with insight into Billy's thoughts and the motivations behind his actions and so he is easy to bring to life in your imagination. On the other hand, I found that King failed to elicit any solid feelings from me about the gypsies; they are inscrutable and fleeting in their appearances in the story.
There was only one part that made me squeamish and it came near the end. Speaking of the conclusion I can honestly say that I was disappointed, but after some reflection I realized that the ending fit because it illustrated the inner transformation Billy had undergone.
Read It or Leave It?
Read it for Billy's transformation from the curse.
I recently stumbled upon a tutorial by Tan Rutley over at Squirrely Minds showing how to make Japanese Koi windsocks, called Koinobori, from toilet rolls and tissue paper. This nearly free project caught my attention because the finished product looked so sweet. Here is herKoinobori tutorial.
My Project Experience
Difficulty: Easy Time: 1-2 hours to prepare and complete 5 Koinobori
Tips
A glue stick worked well in place of double-sided tape
Use an egg carton to sort out tissue paper half circles
Using four colors works best for spacing without repeating color in a row
Stagger the pattern one space over on each row for an even effect
I was really pleased with the results and plan to give them as a gift to our neighbors who are expecting a baby soon. She is from Japan and I thought she might enjoy them for the baby's nursery.
Did you try the project? Share your results and experience in the comments section. :)
Up until I started elementary school, my mother would take my brother, sister and I to Stride Rite for a new pair of Vans shoes every fall. I was too small to remember much, but there are details I've never forgotten.
My brother, sister and I were a handful. Three kids in three years is no mean feat and I can't believe my mother did it before turning 30. However, in spite of our youthful energy we were generally a well-behaved little crew.
The southern California sky was its usual bright blue and the air had just a hint of crispness when my mom would tote us to the nearby old town shopping district. How I loved going there! A trip to downtown Montrose almost always meant we would be visiting one of my favorites shops; Tom's Toyswith an entire room devoted to dolls of the sweet, not creepy, sort, Crittersgift shop with the best stuffed animals I had ever seen, or the bookstore, Once Upon A Time, with its ever-tempting displays for a burgeoning bibliophile like me.
Stride Rite always had a cheerful window display and it drew us kids in the way a pet shop would have. I remember that someone was always available to help mom sort out what was needed. One at a time, the store clerk placed our feet into that strange, cold metal contraption that measured feet. The chill from the Brannock Device took only an instant to penetrate my thin, lace-edged socks and it somehow felt harder, more solid, than any other surface I had stood upon. As the oldest child, I recall bragging every time about having the biggest size feet. Silly.
It was novel to wear the new Vans, bouncy-feeling in their newness, while walking to and from the back of the store so that mom could see whether they fit. Then came the dreaded toe-pushing ritual, where the store clerk would push down on the top of the shoe to find where your toes ended and the "growing space" began. For reasons unknown, I always hated that part of shoe shopping.
The sound of tissue paper crinkling as the shoes were replaced and the smell of new canvas and rubber are synonymous with the crunch of autumn leaves and scent of dying fir and they will always remind me of these early trips to Stride Rite every fall.
It's about time to go shopping for those shoes now.
Sunday dinner is a meal I usually try to make extra nice. It's our last leisurely meal before the rush of the week begins and I want us to savor it.
Last night, I turned to a favorite recipe for salmon cakes. Shortly after making this the first time, I called my mom and asked her why she never made salmon cakes for us when we were growing up. Turns out she'd never had salmon cakes either! What a shame because this is a great way to have fish without an overly fishy taste.
Frying the Salmon Cakes in a shiny stainless steel pot
Salmon is one of the few fish varieties I feel confident cooking, but baking it every time can get boring. This is a colorful and tasty way to present salmon and I hope you enjoy it as we do.
Sweetabow Salmon Cakes (makes 8-10 patties)
1 lb wild-caught salmon, prepared (I buy frozen and bake it in advance)
1 bell pepper (any color), finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small red onion, finely chopped
2 eggs
2 tbsp mayonnaise
2 tbsp parsley
3/4 cup breadcrumbs (dry, fresh or crushed corn flakes)
Crab seasoning*
Olive oil for frying
*Crab Seasoning
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp celery seed
1/4 tsp paprika (sweet)
1/4 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp ground sage
pinch of ginger
pinch of cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
Flake the salmon with a fork and combine all of the ingredients (except olive oil) in a large bowl; mix well.
Place a large pot (this helps to contain the oil splatters) over moderate heat and cover bottom with olive oil. While waiting for oil to heat, form the salmon mixture into patties about 3-inches across. Once the oil is hot enough, gently place patties in the pot. Brown each side of the patties until golden brown (about 3-4 minutes on each side).
Remove patties from oil and place on a paper towel-lined plate to remove excess oil.
Serve warm with vegetables and a baked potato for a hearty meal reminiscent of the Maine coast on a gray autumn day.