Friday, May 22, 2009

"A Goddess of the Moon Defied the Stars en Route and Killed the Handsome Sailor"



FIRST TURN ON THE MUSIC... TIS SUCH A LOVELY SONG.




"A Goddess of the Moon Defied the Stars en Route and Killed the Handsome Sailor"

She captured hope from his eyes
goddess of the moon
defying stars en route
dreams that might come true
this damsel demanded his last
living
breath.

It was not kind
a siren that stole his soul
his being
unprotected
unprepared
and yet
she did
what she had lusted for.

Left behind along a sandy shoreline
holding only
tokens of a memory
a princess of the land
held scraps of paper
in her wanting hands.
Later to pasted in a notebook
a boatman's remnants
one day
most carelessly
to be tossed
most irreverently
away.
Down the line of life
a stranger who would not discern
such a delicate story
a diary had procured.
Lost love
and memories
that faded
long before
within a beauties
pitiful song and lore.

Such a seaman was he
brave to meet the storms
traveling in a long boat
cross the waves of majesty.
He called upon a mermaids legend
to find a most perfect pearl
for his lovely land beauty
who
upon his return
would marry her.

Unsuspecting
that mariner unprotected
did not realize a mermaid
could be vengeful.
And thus
upon seeing such a handsome bo
that water maiden
fell in love with the princess' hero.
Siren of the the sea
meticulously
planned to take him captive
to meet another
seaweed laced
destiny.

Unaware
He could only hope for magical visions
in the depth of the ocean
where a gem from the waters
might be
for his princess in waiting
at home in a castle
so soft and lovely.

Refrains from protection
twas a heros way
never realizing jealous hearts
power unknown
can take
a sailors breath
away.

Poor pitiful sea farer
all he could do
was lie down naked
hoping the moonlight would have pity
on yesterdays
yearnings
digressions
forgiveness
on his mind
but ohhh
so sadly
not in time.

Don't let your dreams fade
lover of mine
called out the princess
from a grassy hillside
toward the whales
and the waves
the unknown and beyond
uselessly defied
fore deep in her heart
past gates of promise
she knew
her lover
did die.

Down into the deep
pulled by a sea vixen
who had decided to take care
of her own ambitions.
Brave seafarer was he
remembered by a princess
who reluctantly met
a most unwanted
destiny.

By Kathy Ostman-Magnusen
Copyright 2009

The image is one is my paintings from my "ke ala o Pele" series.. it is 30x40 and sorry but I can't remember the title at the moment. It is available through Monkdogz Urban Art http://www.monkdog.com

Tuesday, May 05, 2009

"My Tiny Angel Has Gone Off Flying - Leaving Me With a Jealous Heart"


"Euphoria" 36x48 oil on canvas

"My Tiny Angel Has Gone Off Flying - Leaving Me With a Jealous Heart"

Every other angel
seems to get it right
every other tiny angel...
just not mine.
We'll have to have a word or two
once she stops dreaming.

As if she didn't know it
there are strings
attached to everything.
Just about everything
wears a coat.

Ward off the hunter
he comes to victimize
every loose end
except his own.
Alone
foolish to own that I'm fragile
even though my angels gone
a flying.

Mascara runs down weeping eyes
stupid eyes that cry
who simply don't understand
their tears
can be waterproofed
and defied.

Deep down
I've always loved empty cages
reminding me
of angels who capture sparks
and learn to fly off.
A pattern of flashes
once kept on leashes
released.

Wheels continue spinning
for the aimless
a primary defense of the queen's gambit
of trading off stars
that shine too much
lest she lose her stage.

So I sift through moments
of unrehearsed lines
I'd never hold her to them anyway
oh angel
of mine.

Everyone's garden seems trimmed
nowhere to hide a wanting fairy
no room for boxes
of secrets
no where to shelter hidden meanings
tied to strings.

I've planned an invitation
going to send it
by a doves wing
fore although my tiny angel is far away
I'll embroider her memory
and attach it to all my songs.

Yes
everything wears a coat
and everyone understands
a certain long lost tiny angel
and empty pockets.
Despite what people tell you
and no matter how loudly
there are fairies
who burst forth from their cages
leaving a jealous heart
alone.

05 May 2009
by Kathy Ostman-Magnusen
Copyright 2009

Monday, May 04, 2009

"Pixie Myths - Fairies Finding Their Way to Fantasy Stories"


Pixie myths visited...Above is a little watercolor sketch of mine... it seems to go well with this tale. Once in awhile my splendid little pixie fairy surprises me. Whenever I think she has disappeared or perhaps pixie myths never existed at all, there she stands, as tiny as Tinkerbell, right there before my disbelieving eyes, offering me glimpses into her inspiration.

"Pixie Myths - Fairies Finding Their Way to Fantasy Stories"

Beyond the meadow
I did discover Pixie myths
fairies finding their way to fantasy stories
mythical little flower creatures of folklore
enchanting me
ahh such a lovely celtic dream.

My personal pixie darling
in a Victorian setting
sat beside me one glorious afternoon.
We shared the day and peeled off
the most delightful giggles.
On que
my attentive little darling
being a dear little audience
listened
as I shared my fantasies
legends of mermaids
ships that set sail
on Scandinavian seas
and the sailors
who had been kidnapped
because of a mermaids undying love.
Legends, pixie myths,
real flower faeries
whimsical angels
blessing the day.

I recited on...
from books once stored away
and forgotten
of princes on white horses
rescuing the sleeping beauty
awakened by a kiss.

Whenever I paused to sip some tea
or take a nibble from a bit of chocolate
she brought me
my pointed ear companion
reminded me
in song
that magic is never all that far away.
Ahh my dear pixie fairy friend.

Finding a spot online
I showed my darling elf
a certain fairies.com
Reading the last page
we chirped like birds
lured into a little pixie house
that we could cut out
fold together
and tie with ribbons of satin.
What a fun discovery!

Once in awhile
to this day
my splendid little pixie fairy
surprises me.
Whenever I think she has disappeared
or perhaps never existed at all
there she stands
as tiny as Disney's Tinkerbell
right there before my disbelieving eyes
offering me glimpses into her inspiration.
and so I take them
make little drawings of descriptions she shares
and put them in a box of koa
where all my childhood memories
and pixie myths
are stored.

04 May 2009
by Kathy Ostman-Magnusen

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

"Mental Drawings of Demons Spinning Their Evil Ways Sometimes Bare Gifts of New Inventions"


"DNA" 30x40 reverse plexi-glass by Kathy Ostman-Magnusen
Collection of Candy and Larry Wood

TURN ON THE MUSIC:



"Mental Drawings of Demons Spinning Their Evil Ways Sometimes Bare Gifts of New Inventions"

The back and forth of good and bad
the sifting of our errors
how and where do we find our revival
of clear intentions?

Mental drawings of demons of the heart
They make the wheels spin their evil ways
tragically.
Yet sometimes
despite the wounded closet
there is a lovely token.
The gift of understanding
magically bringing revelations
we had not recognized
before the sleeping princess. 
Waking that beauty
no further breeding of dragons
occurs without clear planning.

Sometimes we conquer that dark side
spend time considering the view from top of the hill.
Watch sunsets
consider mythical monsters
and meet what might become bad decisions
head on
with an opposite approach
and our own fire-breathing tongues.

And then?
The wheel spins again
symbols of chaos within our hands
new inventions
new attractions toward depression
monsters in the closet
intimidating czar
despite the ones we conquered ore.

We are a fragile being
yet resilient.
Despite the temptations
the quest for new ideas
roar.
Despite the lust of new ideas
that might disable the heavens angles
we continue on
reveling in new inventions.

Do it... it's only just round the corner,
one new experience, 
one new insight, 
one new innovation, 
one new discovery
designs created from what is possible.

Painting our lives
drawings of scorpions
biting their own tail
or disabling objectionable disabilities thereof.
There is room for safe breathing
we are safe within the IDEA
of creativity
meeting the ways of right
or wrong
fault or reason.

There within the birds that cover our eyes
we decipher
and meet our own glorious
newly uncovered
finds of delight.

We are not that many steps away
from tiny whimsical angels
that remind us of
real life and our own breathing.
There is safety in that call.

by Kathy Ostman-Magnusen
22 April 2009
copyright 2009

The painting above was done as per the commissions requirements, which were personal details of the clients life, which is why the reference to DNA.


Kathy Ostman-Magnusen
Free Art: http://www.kathysart.com
Primal Series:
http://www.kathyostman-magnusen.com
Represented by:
Monkdogz Urban Art, New York
http://www.monkdogz.com
Monkdogz Kathy Ostman-Magnusen Inventory:
http://www.monkdogz.com/chelseagallery/inventory_magnusen.htm

Thursday, April 23, 2009

"Mental Drawings of Demons Spinning Their Evil Ways Sometimes Bare Gifts of New Inventions"

Turn on the music!





"Mental Drawings of Demons Spinning Their Evil Ways Sometimes Bare Gifts of New Inventions"

The back and forth of good and bad
the sifting of our errors
how and where do we find our revival
of clear intentions?

Mental drawings of demons of the heart
They make the wheels spin their evil ways
tragically.
Yet sometimes
despite the wounded closet
there is a lovely token.
The gift of understanding
magically bringing revelations
we had not recognized
before the sleeping princess. 
Waking that beauty
no further breeding of dragons
occurs without clear planning.

Sometimes we conquer that dark side
spend time considering the view from top of the hill.
Watch sunsets
consider mythical monsters
and meet what might become bad decisions
head on
with an opposite approach
and our own fire-breathing tongues.

And then?
The wheel spins again
symbols of chaos within our hands
new inventions
new attractions toward depression
monsters in the closet
intimidating czar
despite the ones we conquered ore.

We are a fragile being
yet resilient.
Despite the temptations
the quest for new ideas
roar.
Despite the lust of new ideas
that might disable the heavens angles
we continue on
reveling in new inventions.

Do it... it's only just round the corner,
one new experience, 
one new insight, 
one new innovation, 
one new discovery
designs created from what is possible.

Painting our lives
drawings of scorpions
biting their own tail
or disabling objectionable disabilities thereof.
There is room for safe breathing
we are safe within the IDEA
of creativity
meeting the ways of right
or wrong
fault or reason.

There within the birds that cover our eyes
we decipher
and meet our own glorious
newly uncovered
finds of delight.

We are not that many steps away
from tiny whimsical angels
that remind us of
real life and our own breathing.
There is safety in that call.

by Kathy Ostman-Magnusen
copyright 2009

Saturday, April 11, 2009

I Painted a Dream of Enchanted Faeries Where Flowers Met the Dew



First? Turn on the music:



"I Painted a Dream of Enchanted Faeries Where Flowers Met the Dew"

I painted a dream of enchanted faeries
drew out maps to travel with
whimsical angel pictures
where flowers met the dew.

I imagine a mermaids mission
toward the sea past the glen
my satchel is full
of notebooks held past pretend.

I seek whimsical angels
who watch over a babies footprints
keeping eye on the daylight
and the doves mournful relent.

Stay close beside an infants crib
ward off all danger
protecting unsuspecting infants
for a thousand and one years.

No dragons may enter
only song birds allowed
in a butterfly garden
tis a fairies lament rung stout.

Fairies guard the dandelion
and the twinkling stars
lest they fly away without us
and leave our outstretched arms.

Whimsical angel drawings
Another world outside my own
yet I listen so intently
for a land past my home.

Enchanted fairies sing songs
and beacon the moonlight
and if you close your eyes to listen
you'll hear a tender might.

Inspired by a faeries tenderness
attention to a needing land
a fairies flight returns predicted
to a believers outstretched hands.

Swans grow from goslings
birds from eggs
clumsy beginnings yes
lead to mysterious legs.

Bells chime
time to meet a magic maker
holding keys to lands
fore every single mystery partaker.

Amid the trembling roses
who meet a unicorns dream
rest assured a captains roar
will forever sing.

Never worry little princess
fore a story of might
a note has been left by a mermaid
fore a swan songs undying
and perhaps restless
flight.

11 April 2009
by Kathy Ostman-Magnusen

The image is of "Swan Song" 30x40 oil on canvas by Kathy Ostman-Magnusen Original available through Monkdogz Urban Art http://www.monkdogz.com

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Friday, March 20, 2009

"Happiness vrs. the Unhappy Soul - I LUST For Passion"


"Flight" 24x48 oil on canvas by Kathy Ostman-Magnusen

"Happiness vrs. the Unhappy Soul - I LUST For Passion"

I was prompted by someone dear to me to consider what happiness is and how to find it. I must tell you ahead of time that I am an artist and my consideration of happiness might be distorted from yours.. yes you may think so. My approach is that we are ALL floundering to find our way. We stumble, recognize the pebbles and sometimes boulders and then? We continue on because we have learned a few things. (?)

Take me with a grain of salt and perhaps your own conclusions as well.

You can't let anyone, be it spouse or lover, put you in a 'specific' box,  just because you don't know what kind of box works for you.  Just because what makes them happy does not make you happy, does not mean that you can't be happy, once you FIND what makes you happy.  You can't settle for what someone else loves in life, just because you don't know yet.  Just because you don't feel the same as another person, does not mean there is something wrong with you.

Here is what "I" think...

Happiness is a very elusive thing... overrated as I have said before to some who know me.  It comes in spurts.. and I think most times we don't recognize it when it is...

ALL AROUND US... 

and then...

It is gone.  

We have to try to see it when it is there though and then begin to embrace it. The more we do, the more we will understand what there was/is about it that makes us feel that way.  I think it is much easier to cradle.. coddle even, pain and the dark side.  I do that... that is what art is about to me. I am just being honest as an artist with the artist's soul I was born with.  I have always said and felt too, that there is nothing particularly "interesting about happy".  It just isn't that interesting... and does not spring forth any great works of art.  There are many who would beg to differ with me... and I understand their approach to things, but it just does not work for me. Am I doomed for depression? At times I guess yes. A bitter pill is swallowed and I hold it within my trembling hands before I partake... each and every single time.  

I just watched the movie, "Modigliani" Here is the theme song at the end... 



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbaiMd3AnjI&NR=1

I think it so fitting that this is the end of the movie... the credits, as if it is our very lives being considered.  

Consider...

I think there is a part of ME that does not really want to be happy... in happy there is no art, not what I consider to be true art... no true passion and the mere fact that it is so fleeting makes it too fragile to deal with.  So again I go back to "What is INTERESTING about happy?" 

There is a spot inside everyones soul that seeks to understand their passion... and so they eternally lust after it.  I do.  You do, even if you deny that it might come artistically... it does.  If God exists at all, it is in creativity.  He/she... IT... IS CREATIVITY.  Consider flowers in the desert. To deny that part of yourself.. or for me to put it on the shelf, is in fact the greatest sin.  But as I wrote... this is just me, take it or leave it.  

I say...

FEEL DEEPLY

SEEK WHAT YOU FEEL WITH A LOVERS LUST AND FEED THAT PASSION.

And if you don't know what it is?  It is NEVER up to ANYONE else to tell you or to confine you in theirs...

the RESPONSIBILITY IS YOURS.  

This is after all... YOUR LIFE.

Life is fragile and yet... difficult to kill.  We give it away or we honor it... it is up to you and up to me to do with it as we will.  

The mix of happiness and unhappiness is so that we will know the difference.  

We are not in Africa watching our baby being held high with a sword... that is not unhappy, that is evil.  So we can't confuse those things with atrocities. We must recognize them though.. because it takes true passion to overcome evil.

Back to being happy?  IS IT in those fleeting seconds that are within a song that makes us feel that we can indeed fly?  If so, that is passion known.  

To neglect it is like leaving a baby on the side of the road unattended.

Pick up the baby...IT IS "YOU".

by Kathy Ostman-Magnusen
copyright 2009

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Sometimes the Dark Side Hosts Amazing Realms of Creativty

This is one of those videos that captures you and stays inside you. LUV this! It is spooky kinda but within its darkness it shares a vision of birth.

Song to the Siren (This Mortal Coil)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWzoUf_HmUw&feature=related


Saturday, February 28, 2009

Schaefer Portrait-Marian Freeman Peoples Choice Award recipient, Noble Richardson



Noble Richardson and Marian Freeman- Hawaii

Schaefer Portrait Challenge, Marian Freeman Peoples Choice Award recipient Noble Richardson

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Schaefer Portrait Challenge Awards Reception, Maui,HI



The response to the artists of the Schaefer Portrait Challenge 2009 and their work has been astounding with over 5,000 visitors to Maui Culture and the Arts Gallery to date!
Thousands of people have cast their ballots to determine their favorite portrait.
Maui Culture and the Arts will be hosting the Marian Freeman People's Choice Award reception Monday Feb. 16th at 5:00 in the gallery.
The top five artists with the most votes will be recognized and the $5,000. award will be given that evening.

If YOU are in Maui, Hawaii during this time be sure to stop by!

MY painting in this invite is top row second from the left. Within this blog I have posted the image of my painting called, "Mr. Magnusen" as well as the narrative.

Aloha, Kathy Ostman-Magnusen

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Thursday, January 29, 2009

Drawings of Scorpions and Introducing You to Your Own Tail-Yes How to Draw a Scorpion



"Drawings of Scorpions and Introducing You to Your Own Tail-Yes How to Draw a Scorpion"

Drawings of scorpions
sketches, drawings
of a serpents tail.
I feel their shell
and I become the work
I become the graphite
on the clear white pages
over and over to understand
just how enlightened can an artist be
when patterns are met by the hand?

Scorpion drawings
line my closet.
I hold my moods off balance
off center
dark
light
seeking daylight
yes
daylight.
Taken from my hidden rock
not to be exposed
just free to be myself.

Today
I am somehow entombed
by a lack of expression
my tail doth wane
I cannot feel my tongue
I am folded up
and set aside in secret drawers.
I long to be mesmerized
free from self imposed impositions.

Holding up a mirror
I see my scorpion
backwards
just like I feel I am
at times...
muted song and all.

I am like a memory
just a drawing
trying to create some sort of solum oath
fierce yet frail
dangerous if you provoke me
mindless if the sun is free to meet my back
and sees you wanting
me.
How to draw a scorpion?
You ask...
again?

In flight
I could go anywhere
stare at embankments
and then?
Just jump off!
Yes...
just leap into the abyss.
Why not?

But alas
I am not a bird nor dragonfly
not even a fly on ones wall.
I am inside my drawings
drawings of scorpions
because of you
because you said you'd like to see them.

You promised that you would not
slur your words anymore.
I demand that oath.
Sketches and drawings
colors lined up and waiting for atonement
say it as clear as you can
and I
might
follow you.

Stop asking me how to draw scorpions
OK?
Time to beacon your own.
Scorpion drawings
line my closet.

by Kathy Ostman-Magnusen
copyright 2009

The image is called "Primal Block Party l" by me, Kathy Ostman-Magnusen
It consists of NINE 3x3x2 individual stretched canvas blocks. This is part of my "Primal Series", there are many more to this series... ask Bob or check out http://www.barebrush.com and look for me amount artists under the letter 'O' for Ostman-Magnusen.

To purchase this or any of my ORIGINAL art please contact Bob Hogge at Monkdogz Urban Art, New York. http://www.monkdogz.com


My page on Monkdogz: http://www.monkdogz.com/chelseagallery/artistart/Magnusen/artist_magnusen.htm

Need some inspiration? Watch one of my favorite YouTubes:

Antony & The Johnsons: "Epilepsy Is Dancing" from their new release The Crying Light

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Antony & The Johnsons: Epilepsy Is Dancing
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Sunday, January 25, 2009

"I Heard the Night... It Was a Breathtaking Responsibility"




"I Heard the Night... It Was a Breathtaking Responsibility"

I heard the night...
it was a breathtaking responsibility.
A reality I must never dismiss.

My whale had not been sleeping
no
he had been waiting
for me
along the seaside and its mist.

How kind.

I caught a star
with the very tip my tongue.
It melted into
lavender
and roses
and then it enlightened me
yet almost frightened me
knowing
my muse
was not that far.

I imagined myself to be floating...

and so...

I WAS.

And yet...
Glassy eyed
for fear of losing that second of grace
I could barely find my way.

Wrapping promise around me
I would press on.

Dismissing sea weed away from my path
I had to remind myself
once again
that I was no longer a prisoner
despite my past
self imposed
circumstance.

I had been redressed by tiny angels
those fairies that comfort you
when no spark
of light
can be found.
Images buried
deep beneath the surface of a clouds cover
understanding little
for its barely singing sound.

I maintain the deepest gratitude
for the whale who waited
despite my protests
eluding to
my most unflattering moods.
Doorways blocked
with the rhythm of my songs
gated.
Yet
the whale
had pinned music to my veil
and washed away doubts
with the oceans logic.

And there
within my hand
trembling
yes
a star
did twinkle...
'backwards'
and an unforgettable wish...
granted.

"My MUSE!" I cried.

And there between my canvas
and my brush
most delicately
disguised.
The colors
would yet flow freely
knowing
their essence
would never die.

Whatever caused my nightmares
to surface
sad tale
I will refrain from hearing them
no matter how pale.
Oh, not a promise
exactly
mind you
just a world I live in
performing tasks
in pretend.

Pulling leaves from my pocket
I still will choose to know
nightmares have no space to score here
and nowhere
to land past the grove.

After hearing what the moon had to say
I am resolved
and understand
stars are not all that far to reach for
when near
a destined plan.

Ahh yes
I heard the night...
it was a breathtaking responsibility.

by Kathy Ostman-Magnusen
copyright 2009

The image is of my painting, "For Isa",by Kathy Ostman-Magnusen copyright 2009, it is an 18x24 oil on canvas and part of my "Passion Series", which is an ongoing body of work. I always paint in series and continue on with them until I tire of their theme or the style they are presented in. I confess that I rarely do refined work anymore as I find it tedious and boring, opting for a freer dance of the brush so that my emotions meet the canvas in a more honest form.

Interested in purchasing the original? Contact Bob Hogge at Monkdogz Urban Art, NY http://www.monkdogz.com

Interested in a giclee? Humm that might take a bit of convincing so don't contact me lest you are sure you LOVE it! Smile.

Aloha, Kathy

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Friday, January 23, 2009

Visual Artists, Goddess Art, Fantasy Art-Improving SEO



Visual artists, goddess art, fantasy art...Exchange links with the 'right' website, keep within your subject or niche! I have 'finally' realized why that is so important.

I came across a great article about improving website traffic:


http://www.isnare.com/?aid=265229&ca=Internet


Not a question but a note that I took in about this article. First off I am a visual artists so I am coming from that frame of thinking. When I first created my website a few years ago I linked to fellow artists but not similar in style. I linked a lot to abstract artists instead of what my art suggested, which is basically goddess art, fantasy warrior women of passion that are erotic in nature. I had not put it together 'why' I was linking so just got out there with my requests to exchange links. Good info I caught in your article that reminded me that I need to pursue 'like art'.

The 'image' above is of one of my paintings called "3" it is a 36x48 oil on canvas. Looking at it as I post it on here I am reminded that not all of my work is goddess art or fantasy art. It is all passionate art though but finding other artists who describe their work that way, being a good keyword that is. Ahh me it is all a science huh? I can see my work as fantasy art warrior women but that may not be within others minds when they see my work that that is what I do either. Hummm and smile!

If you Twitter come follow me! http://twitter.com/KathysArt

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Friday, January 16, 2009

Andrew Wyeth, Artist, Passes at 91-Famous For "Christina's World"


Andrew Wyeth


"Christina's World" by Andrew Wyeth

Sadly, artist and illustrator Andrew Wyeth passed away today. Son of N C Wyeth, father of James Wyeth, passed away January 16, 2009. Andrew Wyeth was a probably most noted for his painting, "Christina's World".

From the New York Times:

"Andrew Wyeth, Famed and Infamous Artist, Dies at 91"
by Michael Kimmelman

" Andrew Wyeth, one of the most popular and also most lambasted artists in the history of American art, a reclusive linchpin in a colorful family dynasty of artists from tiny Chadds Ford, Penn., whose precise realist views of hardscrabble rural life became icons of national culture and sparked endless debates about the nature of modern art, has died at his home in suburban Philadelphia, The Associated Press reported."

Read more at:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/17/arts/design/17wyeth.html?_r=1&hp

RIP Mr. Wyeth, you will be missed yet not forgotten. Thank you for all your glorious artwork.

Check out my Squidoo Lens for more info, pics, YouTubes, etc., about Mr. Wyeth:

http://www.squidoo.com/andrewwyeth

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Thursday, January 08, 2009

"Mr. Magnusen"



"Mr. Magnusen" 36x48x2 oil on canvas at the opening for the Shaefer Portrait Challenge.

Wednesday, January 07, 2009

If I Could Be Your Angel-Or... If YOU Might Be Mine (?)





OK... so here is how it works; all those inspirations and how they find their way to canvas;how it works for me anyway. A friend on MySpace sent me some pics, these quotes below and a YouTube that shows a drawing, not the one above, but yes this song.
Sooo I felt and feel inspired by it all. I am not into 'angels' nor biblical agenda's but find a certain comfort in the magic these quotes and angels suggest. I have added one pic sent by my MySpace friend and one of my own "Primal Block Party 1", for I am indeed in chains to my own evils and angels of the artist soul. I like the image of angels here because it suggests some sort of secret. I feel inspired by the whole thing and plan on doing some art regarding chains, angels and all those demons that surface when we allow reality in.

Quotes:

Yes, love indeed is light from heaven; A spark of that immortal fire with angels shared, by Allah given to lift from earth our low desire.
~Lord Byron

We are each of us angels with only one wing, and we can only fly by embracing one another.
~Lucretius

If instead of a gem, or even a flower, we should cast the gift of a loving thought into the heart of a friend, that would be giving as the angels give.
~George MacDonald

I love good and pleasure, I hate evil and pain, I want to be happy and I am not mistaken in believing, that people, angels and even demons have those same inclinations.
~Nicolas Malebranche

It is not known precisely where angels dwell whether in the air, the void, or the planets. It has not been God's pleasure that we should be informed of their abode.
~Voltaire

The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.
~Socrates

It is by suffering that human beings become angels.
~Victor Hugo

For why should we not admire more the angels themselves and the blessed choirs of heaven?
~Giovanni Pico della Mirandola

The hours I spend with you I look upon as sort of a perfumed garden, a dim twilight, and a fountain singing to it. You and you alone make me feel that I am alive. Other men it is said have seen angels, but I have seen thee and thou art enough.
~George Edward Moore

Angels are spirits, flames of fire; they are higher than man, they have wider connections.
~Matthew Simpson

Adam was placed in Paradise in perfect estate, and in the company of God's angels; God walked and did talk with him. He heard the voice, and beheld the presence of God.
~John Jewel

A babe in the house is a well-spring of pleasure, a messenger of peace and love, a resting place for innocence on earth, a link between angels and men.
~Martin Farquhar Tupper

Monday, December 29, 2008

Kathy Ostman-Magnusen's "Mr. Magnusen" in Schaefer Portrait Challenge


"Mr. Magnusen"
36x48x2 oil on canvas
by Kathy Ostman-Magnusen

Artist's Statement:

Mr. Magnusen, the subject of my painting, shares many of my same memories. We grew up not far from one another In S. California and later attended the same high school. It was in high school that I fell in love with Dennis G Magnusen. That love story was put on hold for some 30 years.

In 1967 Dennis was drafted by the US Army, and subsequently went to Vietnam in 1968. Circumstances and follies of youth would cause us to follow separate paths.

While in Vietnam Dennis was strongly affected by the children he saw there. "Children were never meant to experience war", he told me years later. He decided that he wanted to do his part to change the world. "Real change in any society begins with the children," was Dennis' mantra, so he became a teacher. He worked with gang zone high school kids in the evenings and intermediate students in the afternoon. Grades of F's and D's were bought up to A's and B's. Mr. Magnusen reached beyond his own expectations, leading kids to an understanding of their own worth, thus opening doors to their potential futures. He created a surf club and got the community to help. He was often featured on local TV and newspapers as someone who was making a difference in children's lives. Dennis also became a Mentor teacher, lending help to other educators. Being somewhat of a rebel he advised fellow teaches of ideas that reached beyond standard textbook techniques.

Sadly the ghost of Vietnam took away Mr. Magnusen's strength in the form of Peripheral Neuropathy, caused by Agent Orange. By 1990 he was too ill to continue his beloved teaching career. It broke his heart. Seeking rest, relief from stress, needing a special place to deal with the physical pain that comes with Small Nerve Fiber Neuropathy, he relocated to Hawaii. Hawaii has been his solace and a cool breeze when memories of who he once was for kids becomes faint.

About three months ago "Mr. Magnusen" was contacted by a former student. Amy had been looking for him for eighteen years. She had heard he had died from Agent Orange complications, but still hoped that she would find him. You see, Amy became a teacher and she wanted to find Mr. Magnusen to tell him how much he had affected her life. While working on her Masters in Literature, Amy wrote a paper describing the most influential person in her life. That person was Mr. Magnusen. Amy called to tell Mr. Magnusen that she wanted to make a difference in this world too. For a teacher there can be no greater reward.

As for me? I found Dennis once again after 30 years, through a miracle of circumstance, but that I guess is another story.

~ Kathy Ostman-Magnusen
copyright 2008






2009

About the Schaefer Portrait Challenge

The Challenge is open to artists 18 years of age and older who are residents of the state of Hawai‘i. Work created under direct supervision is not eligible. A select portion of the exhibition will travel to The Contemporary Museum, First Hawaiian Center in Honolulu.

Jurors for Schaefer Portrait Challenge 2009

Maile Andrade
artist; assistant professor of art
at University of Hawai'i-Manoa (O'ahu)

David Behlke
artist; director of Koa Gallery
at Kapiolani Community College (O'ahu)

A. Kimberlin Blackburn:
artist (Kauai)

Wayne Miyamoto:
artist; professor of art
at University of Hawai'i-Hilo (Hawai'i Island)

What is a Portrait?
Portrait subjects may include any person living in Hawai`i. Artists must have direct contact with the subject, to include at least one live sitting. A broad range of interpretation and styles from representational to experimental is encouraged. Self portraits are also accepted.

Media
All works entered must be original one of a kind and newly-created specifically for this exhibition. The work may not have been previously shown in any other exhibit, gallery or website.
• Acceptable media: drawing, painting, sculpture, mixed media and monoprint.
• Non-acceptable media: photography, photographic reproductions and ink jet (giclĂ©e) reproductions.
• All works must be submitted in final presentation, ready for display.

Awards
The Challenge is pleased to offer the following awards:
• The Jurors’ Choice for $15,000, graciously sponsored by Jack & Carolyn Schaefer Gray, will be chosen by a jury committee.
• The Marian Freeman People’s Choice Award for $5,000, sponsored by Gage Schubert, will be awarded to the artist who receives the most votes by gallery visitors during the exhibition period at MACC.

http://www.mauiarts.org/schaefer_SPC09.html


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Thursday, December 18, 2008

My Art Accepted -Schaefer Portrait Challenge-Kathy Ostman-Magnusen



My work, "Mr. Magnusen" a 36x48 oil on canvas, was accepted in the Schaefer Portrait Challenge 2009

About the Schaefer Portrait Challenge

The Challenge is open to artists 18 years of age and older who are residents of the state of Hawai‘i. Work created under direct supervision is not eligible. A select portion of the exhibition will travel to The Contemporary Museum, First Hawaiian Center in Honolulu.

Awards
The Challenge is pleased to offer the following awards:
• The Jurors’ Choice for $15,000, graciously sponsored by Jack & Carolyn Schaefer Gray, will be chosen by a jury committee.
• The Marian Freeman People’s Choice Award for $5,000, sponsored by Gage Schubert, will be awarded to the artist who receives the most votes by gallery visitors during the exhibition period at MACC.

Jurors for Schaefer Portrait Challenge 2009

Maile Andrade
artist; assistant professor of art
at University of Hawai'i-Manoa (O'ahu)

David Behlke
artist; director of Koa Gallery
at Kapiolani Community College (O'ahu)

A. Kimberlin Blackburn:
artist (Kauai)

Wayne Miyamoto:
artist; professor of art
at University of Hawai'i-Hilo (Hawai'i Island)

Schaefer Portrait Challenge 2009

January 6 – February 22, 2009

Schaefer Portrait Challenge 2009

Schaefer International Gallery

MACC’s signature triennial: a prestigious statewide juried exhibition that has become a showcase of outstanding Hawai‘i artists and a chronicle of the changing face of our community. The selected explorations in portraiture include a broad range of interpretation and styles—from representational to experimental in drawing, painting and sculpture—all of which reveal the rewards of observation and the essence of human connection.

Schaefer International Gallery, Tuesday – Sunday, 11 am – 5 pm. FREE admission.

Maui Arts & Cultural Center

One Cameron Way

Kahului, HI USA 96732

Island Area: Central Maui

Phone: 242-2787 admin, 242-7469 box office

Email: info@mauiarts.org

Website: http://www.mauiarts.org

Location Specifics: Schaefer International Gallery

http://www.mauiarts.org/schaefer_SPC09.html

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