Conventional Wisdom

People are talking about: "Last year compared to this year" weather differences.  Our fitness instructor mowed the lawn three times by yesterday's date last year.  I'd sent out pictures of orchards in bloom, having spotted the first orchard trees blooming in mid-April.  The Magnolias were in bloom in Queenston, a beautiful town on the Niagara River.   I was thinking of what conventional wisdoms have become common practice in the 20th century. I expected to find things like the 80-20 principle.  While the term dates back to 1838,  it is associated with John Kenneth Galbraith in his 1958 book The Affluent Society in which he displayed his contrarian view of economic theories of the day. Conventional wisdom is considered a derogatory term - it is defined as "ideas so accepted that they go unquestioned".  The example that is cited is that it was once believed that the Earth is flat, and that at the Earth is the centre of the universe.   Wikipedia puts it more specifically:  "It is widely believed that prior to Christopher Columbus people thought the world was flat, but in actuality, scholars of that time had long accepted that the earth is a sphere.  The above sentence is true; people today often think that Columbus discovered the world to be round, when in fact the world's roundness was already widely known by Columbus' time. However, if enough people read and believe the above sentence, the above sentence will eventually supplant the old belief (the old belief in past belief in a flat earth). The above sentence would become the new conventional wisdom. (Ironically, however, this would also turn the above sentence, the new conventional wisdom, into a false claim; because the new conventional wisdom would propose that people are confused about past beliefs in a way that they actually wouldn't be.)" So complicated a term to consider.  In seeking a list of typical conventional wisdoms, I find lead-in paragraphs to research studies and their results and financial investors and their advice. My sense is that this expression has been hijacked by writers. If it is a serious area of investigation, perhaps it is obscure rather than popular. And now what we experience is that it is conventional wisdom to challenge conventional wisdom.  There's something circular about this concept! The fascinating Canada Blooms' wall sculpture is today's subject.  The second picture shows it interpreted by the Flaming Pear plug-in "India Ink".  The third one interprets it with the Topaz Labs plug-in "Glow".  Both interpretations show off its wonderful design structure.

A Christmas Surprise Like No Other

Christmas has a tradition of surprise gifts.  The puppy under the Christmas tree is one of the famous stories that I remember - here's the sense of the intention: "There is a special magic in the air as everyone rushes around trying to find the best Christmas gifts to surprise their loved ones with. One of my favorite parts of the season is baking treats and making cards to show our friends how special they are to us. We also love receiving Christmas surprises and treats as they show up at our doorstep from friends and neighbours!" There's a thud on the internet - there are no postings on 'christmas surprise gifts'. What was I thinking of?  The search is 'weirdest Christmas gifts'.  Surprises aren't good enough anymore.  So here they are from huffingtonpost.ca for 2017.  There are far too many to list here so it is definitely worth a visit. A Christmas tree costume - a short version for easy maneuvering A pillow hat - yes it is a pillow on the back of a hat - plain white A Rudolph mankini - yes that's a Red-nosed reindeer bikini that fits over the shoulders  - with the nose you know where Upside-down Christmas Tree - it's on a stand so no problem having to hang it from the ceiling - hark back to the Middle Ages Inflatable humping reindeer - what to say - would you put that out front? And then when the town representatives come around to judge your front lights for the contest... Weed earrings - a baggy hanging from pierced ears, so you can make some brownies Toilet Donald - well that would be Catalonian wouldn't it - the Pooping President in a Manger - give him the traditional red cap to finish it off Zappa costume and box set - save this one for Halloween Trump toaster and impeach jam - the Trump toaster burns the face of The Donald on one side of the bread with "You're Fired!" on the other.  The website sells "Impeach Jam". Praying Mantis Angel - well looks alien and about to explode everything Here's our Christmas Greeting - this is one of Floyd Elzinga's wall sculptures.

Fire in the Night

We are very lucky here in Niagara.  This is where well-renowned metal sculpture artist Floyd Elzinga has his home and studio. Last night was Floyd Elzgina's Night Open House.  This was a  popular event with many people arriving with us.  I came for the pine cone fire.  He has a fire pit with one of his pine cone sculptures and the flames sprout out of the metal sculpture.  It was all great fun! You can check out Floyd's work and upcoming events at his website: http://www.floydelzinga.com

Sinister Presence

Today's image comes from the Palm Beach Four Arts Garden and It’s a bronze robed figure donning a gold mask.  It is called  ”Sior Maschera,” by sculptor, artist Philip Jackson.  It took a little searching to find something on Jackson.  Here's his words describing his art: "My sculptures are essentially an impressionistic rendering of the figure. Where you see the figure seemingly grow out of the ground, the texture resembles tree bark, rock, or lava flow. As the eye moves up the sculpture, the finish becomes gentler & more delicately worked, culminating in the hands and the mask, both of which are precisely observed & modeled." This is a garden with many romantic elements - the pathways, the abundant bougainvillea and jasmine, the enclosed spaces for a rendezvous.  I found this statue a sinister and foreboding presence on an otherwise idyllic landscape. Here's Philip Jackson's site - the home page image is a different interpretation of this figure.  Take a look: http://www.philipjacksonsculptures.co.uk/index.htm

The Artist's Vision

Floyd Elzinga's Vision Floyd Elzinga is a sculptor in metal. He lives in Beamsville with his studio on Mountain Street. The natural world is his subject. Here's his Artist Statement from his website  http://www.floydelzinga.com "Rotten stumps, broken branches, invasive species, ravaged trees as well as polar opposites and dysfunctional objects; these are the things that excite Floyd Elzinga. He has made a career out of highlighting and glorifying these through three dimensional sculpture, relief work and environmental installations for over 15 years. Current themes in his work focus on broken landscapes, portraits of trees and the aggressive nature of seeds." I asked Floyd's permission to photograph his work and to be able to publish my images. He is very receptive to this as his work is three dimensional sculpture, so the original work cannot be replaced or reproduced.  This allows me to to pursue my interest in pattern, line, texture and saturated colour with extraordinary subject matter - subjects of the artist's eye that incorporate the natural world and urban materials.