Tag Archives: art

“Reality is always extraordinary.” — Mary Ellen Mark

Posted on March 20, 2025 by sheila

It’s her birthday today. My first job was as a page at a local library. I would go there after school, shelve books for a couple of hours, and then head home. I ended up working there all through high … Continue reading →

Posted in Art/Photography, Directors, Movies, On This Day | Tagged , | 3 Comments

For International Women’s Day: Ladies I Love

Posted on March 8, 2025 by sheila

I post edited versions of this every year. I add names. I take names off if I feel like it. I enjoy compiling it. It’s not just about enjoyment. As women’s rights are up for grabs more than ever, like … Continue reading →

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January 2025 Viewing Diary

Posted on February 2, 2025 by sheila

Glengarry Glen Ross (1992; d. James Foley) I saw this one in the theatre back in the day. There’s a revival coming up on Broadway and Bill Burr is going to be in it. It’s kind of perfect! He’ll be … Continue reading →

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“I wish I had not been so reserved.” — Joseph Cornell’s final words

Posted on December 24, 2024 by sheila

Today is the birthday of artist Joseph Cornell. “Cornell is superb. I first saw the Medici Slot Machine when I was in college. Oh, I loved it. To think one could have bought some of those things then. He was … Continue reading →

Posted in Art/Photography, On This Day | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

“Improvement makes strait roads, but the crooked roads without Improvement, are roads of Genius.” — poet/engraver/visionary William Blake

Posted on November 28, 2024 by sheila

“I mean, don’t you think it’s a little bit excessive?” “The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom. William Blake.” Pause. “William Blake?” “William Blake!” “William Blake???” “William Blake!!!” — Bull Durham William Blake was a poet virtually … Continue reading →

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“A vast amount of rubbish is published in the name of art. A man should let his work talk for him. ” — Charles Dana Gibson

Posted on September 14, 2024 by sheila

It’s his birthday today. Old-timers will remember when my blog-design was Gibson-Girl inspired. My favorite haughty Gibson Girl was in the blog banner for years! The only vestige of the Gibson Girl origin-story of this site is in the email … Continue reading →

Posted in Art/Photography, Books, On This Day | Tagged , , | 15 Comments

“If I could say it in words there would be no reason to paint.” — Edward Hopper

Posted on July 22, 2024 by sheila

It’s his birthday today. I wrote about Edward Hopper quite a bit in my Present Tense column at Film Comment, detailing the Hopper-y vibe of Tom Noonan’s great film about urban loneliness, What Happened Was… In fact, I have a … Continue reading →

Posted in Art/Photography, On This Day | Tagged , , , | 32 Comments

“I believe the Negro blood counts, and counts to my advantage – though it has caused me at times a life of great humiliation and sorrow.” — painter Henry Ossawa Tanner

Posted on June 21, 2024 by sheila

It’s his birthday today. When I lived in Philadelphia – a million years ago, with my boyfriend who was in law school at U. Penn – I became intimately familiar with Henry Ossawa Tanner’s paintings since so many of them … Continue reading →

Posted in Art/Photography, On This Day | Tagged | 5 Comments

“My goal: never copy. Create a new style, with luminous and brilliant colors, rediscover the elegance of my models.” — Tamara de Lempicka

Posted on May 16, 2024 by sheila

“I live life in the margins of society, and the rules of normal society don‘t apply to those who live on the fringe.” — Tamara de Lempicka Spoken like a true exile of Jewish descent. For her birthday: “Self Portrait … Continue reading →

Posted in Art/Photography, On This Day | Tagged , | 10 Comments

April/May 2023 Viewing Diary

Posted on June 9, 2023 by sheila

River of Grass (1994; d. Kelly Reichardt) Reichardt’s first film. Wendy and Lucy (2008; d. Kelly Reichardt) The start of Reichardt’s collaboration with Michelle Williams. Showing Up (2023; d. Kelly Reichardt) Reichardt’s latest. I reviewed for Ebert. It’s fine. Her … Continue reading →

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