In Remembrance of Donna De Solis

This post is in honor of what would be the seventy-fourth birthday of my dearly departed friend, Donna De Solis, who passed away on June 25th, 2015. In the picture directly above she can be seen at the bottom of image and I am standing directly behind her. It was taken in 2014 and we were on a pier at the Hudson River, celebrating my birthday. 

Little did we know it would be the last time I celebrated mine with her, for she died the following June two months before my birthday in the year 2015.

Donna was the office manager at The Church of the Blessed Sacrament (my parish).

Over the many years I knew her, I was honored and privledged to be a guest at a number of the Christmas parties she held in her home and to go with her to various events happening in NYC. 

Moreover, she came to a couple of exhibitions that featured my photography. In the next picture, Donna can be seen with a yellow sweater over her shoulders and yours truly is standing behind her. 

We are at an opening for a 2002 art exhibition that I was featured in (with two other artists who are not in this photograph) at The New York Gallery Building (on West Fifty-Seventh Street in NYC). The art piece which is behind us is one of my kaliedoscopic images titled Rocks By Strawberry Fields. 

At the time our picture was taken, my kaliedoscopic photographs could only be printed on photographic papers as wall art or rendred on to note-cards.

Howeover, over the years, with advancement in printing processes, my kaliedoscopic works (as well as all of my other photographs) can be rendered (by Fine Art America AKA FAA) in an aray of sizes on to various surfaces for wall art including, acrylic, art paper, canvas, metal, poster-paper and wood. FAA also has framed options available and they can render the images on to note-cards.

I think Donna might've found it cool that FAA can print my kaliedoscopic images (and my other ones) on to items for personal use such as totes, week-ender bags, pouches, note-books, stickers, cell-phone cases and jigsaw puzzles; as well as face-masks.

In any event, I'm certainly thinking of Donna as well as those family members who survived her including her husband Tony as well as her son, Bryan, who shortly after her death, requsted that I create a video in honor of memory, which I did and it can be viewed on Vimeo as well as You Tube.

Special Time-Sensitive Offer from Fine Art America re my Images

Fine Art America, AKA FAA (the place that does my fulfillment for my art "merchandise"), offer for free shipping ends tonight, November 22nd at midnight EST. 

I have several varieties of greeting cards and a fraction of them can be seen within the images included in my poster which is atop this entry.

Some of my other greeting cards can be seen within the folllowing sequence of photos:

Monday's Musings

Today is Presidents Day, a holiday which I've written about it a few times in bygone years and this time, I feel I have nothing new to add to the conversation so I'll share a tidbit with you that I've just learned myself! On this day of February 16th in 1967, The Beatles released a single that featured Paul McCartney's, Penny Lane, on one side and John Lennon's, Strawberry Fields Forever, on the other.

In honor of the anniversary of the release of those songs, I've posted a You tube Video atop this entry which offers an interesting back story re McCartney's, Penny Lane.

Christmas Card Day 2018

One of my figurines who is depicted in the likeness of a "Christmas Card Lady" is here for the season with a reminder that today, December 9th is Christmas Card Day, which is a holiday I've discussed in a few of my prior entries here on Blogger, including one that you may reference by clicking here.

A site called Fun Holiday, claims "if you haven’t sent out your greeting cards, make sure you do it on December 9 because it is Christmas Card Day."

But if you haven't bought your cards, I have a couple of selections that can be found within my collections on Fine Art America (FAA) @ https://bit.ly/2PZzVnO

"Strawberry Fields Forever"

THIS WORK OF ART IS FEATURED 1N A GALLERY MY WEBSITE

If John Lennon had not not died today as a result of having been shot outside his home on the UWS, he would be seventy-eight years old. Over my years here on Blogger, I've written about this tragedy when commemorating it's anniversary and if you'd like to reference my posts, please click here.

When Lennon lived in NYC, he and his wife (Yoko Ono) spent a great deal of time in Central Park.

There is an area in the park known as Strawberry Fields, which is designed by the landscape architect Bruce Kelly, that is dedicated to the memory of former the Beatles member. The area is 2.5-acre landscaped section and inspired my kaleidoscopic photograph, Rocks by Strawberry Fields, which can be seen in the photo atop this entry.

The picture was taken in 2002 when I had an art exhibition in The Nexus Gallery which was located in The New York Gallery Building. When I created this image, I intended for it to be printed on silk for women's scarves as well as men's ties.

I recently met a new (to me) bird type: Hooded Mergansers! (Tuesday's Truths WK 102)

This past Sunday when I was looking in the waters of Turtle Pond, I observed a never before seen by me bird type, a pair of Hooded Mergansers. This was my sixteenth new encounter (in this Year of the Bird) with avian creatures whom I've never seen before.

According to a number of sources, including Wikipedia, where a page states, "The hooded merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus) is a species of small duck. It is the only extant species in the genus Lophodytes. The genus name derives from the Greek language: lophos meaning 'crest', and dutes meaning diver... both sexes have crests that they can raise or lower, and the breeding plumage of the male is handsomely patterned and colored. The hooded merganser has a sawbill but is not classified as a typical merganser. Hooded mergansers are the second smallest species of merganser, with only the smew of Europe and Asia being smaller, and it also is the only merganser whose native habitat is restricted to North America."

I have a long lens on my camera, but not long enough to get great pictures of the male (black on head) + female (brown on head)! Still I did enjoy seeing them swimming in Turtle Pond and you can see them in the picture atop this post.

Information re a free shipping offer by FAA* (*Fine Art America)

AVAILABLE VIA FAA

The image of one of my 2018 greeting cards that is posted atop this entry, may look familiar to you, dear reader, as I've featured it in prior posts here on Blogger.

I'm now thankful to say that Chris Deatherage posted it on my behalf to my TLLG FB Page and stated the following: "For anyone who prefers to send a generic greeting card during the holiday season, you should consider 'Mac Watching it Snow' in my shop on Fine Art America. And I have just learned that Fine Art America is offering FREE ground shipping on all orders placed through its web portal today, November 3rd, and tomorrow, November 4th until midnight. Here's the link: https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/patricia-youngquist, and feel free to share this special offer with your friends."

Monday's Memory: What a friend I had in DD*! (*Donna DeSolis)

"ROCKS BY STRAWBERRY FIELDS" FEATURED IN AN EXHIBITION

My friend, DD (Donna De Solis) passed from this life three years ago today. I have written about her a number of times here on Blogger and a video that I made (soon after she passed) honoring her life can be viewed within my You Tube Channel.

Donna can be seen in the photograph atop this entry, she has a yellow sweater over her shoulders and yours truly is standing behind her. We are at an opening for a 2002 art exhibition that I was featured in (with two other artists) at The New York Gallery Building (on West Fifty-Seventh Street in NYC).

The image above us is of a photographic print from my Kaleidoscopic Photograph Collection (which can be found in the Kaleidoscopic Prints Gallery within my website, patriciayoungquist.com ) and is called, Rocks by Strawberry Fields.

In the coming days (hopefully this Thursday), I will be meeting with Chris Deatherage (who is the one that designed my website and formatted the Words In Our Beak book series) to see if we can add this image to the Kaleidoscopic Collections within my Fine Art America Pages.

Chris met Donna at a gathering that I had at my apartment on Halloween (a number of years ago) and I am sure that he will agree that DD would truly be thrilled to know I now have some of my work up on Fine America's site.

I miss seeing Donna and my heart aches for her husband, son, sister and cousins who will surely be thinking of her on this mournful day; but I do realize that she is someone who would be very pleased that I'm doing all I can to move forward.

FALL 2018 ADDENDUM: 

Hardcover versions of Volume One, Two and Three can be found wherever books are sold.

MY BOOK SERIES

Please click here to go to my blog post that provides details as to where you can get these books. Additionally, I have rendered some images from these books into other formats and they are available via Fine Art America (FAA). Some of my other photographs (Black & White Collection, Kaleidoscopic Images and the famous Mandarin duck who visited NYC) can also be found on my FAA pages.

ADDENDUM SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER 2021:

When the third volume of the hard-cover version of Words In Our Beak was released, I withdrew from promoting my former versions of Words In Our Beak. 

The very first one is an iBook and went into Apple's book store in 2015.

This was followed by an ePub version...

... that is available on Amazon and was also published in 2015.

Subsequently, Words In Our Beak's digital versions were published as a soft-cover book (with slight variations) by MagCloud in 2017.

Its press release can be read by clicking here.  

Now with the release of BIRD TALES (which is in Apple's Bookstore and On Amazon)...

... I've been advised to make mention of my early versions of volume one of Words In Our Beak, they do vary ever so slightly in content from the hard-cover version of volume one.

As of this addendum, I do not intend to create digital or soft-cover versions of Words In Our Beak Volume Two or Words In Our Beak Volume Three.

In Honor of World Turtle Day

I've just learned that today, May 23rd, is World Turtle Day. According to Wiki, this holiday has been sponsored yearly since 2000 by American Tortoise Rescue "to bring attention to, and increase knowedge of and respect for turtles and tortoises, and to encourage human action to help them survive and thrive."

The picture featured atop today's blog entry is of a turtle at a lake just north of Strawberry Fields in NYC's Central Park, and he/she seems to be a perfect spokes-turtle for the occasion, given his/her quizzical expression. Turtles are often found sunbathing in this lake as they do their people-watching. This one was not camera-shy, another quality making him/her a great candidate for a spokes-turle on World Turtle Day (or any occasion for that matter). Other turtles – as is the case with yours truly — do not enjoy having their picture taken.

Upcoming Feast Days: Chanukah & Advent Shattering Darkness Part One: Chanukah

It is good to reflect on the symbols of light and hope that mark the Jewish Feast of Chanukah and the Christian Feast of Advent, a time when "Jews and Christians use the symbols of candles and lights to shatter the winter darkness."

Sunset in Riverside Park, NYC, New York

I would like to take a moment to comment on the color photo work that I have done where I have used pinhole cameras to create photographic prints with kaleidoscopic patterns, These works are mysterious, seductive, and liberating. The intricate designs give the viewer permission to feel emotions. The mood created by these is meditative. A whisper, not a shout. The delicate patterns in this series of photographic prints add tranquility to meditation and yoga centers. They create a sense of calmness in public spaces. They enhance Pilates studios. And they add ambiance to your summer home in the Hamptons - the one where your study overlooks the Atlantic. They are inspiring; as seen in the rendition of  Sunset in Riverside Park, which is posted below:

On my web-site, Sunset in Riverside Park, can be seen with other kaleidoscopic prints.The photograph above was taken at my one woman exhibition that took place in the Art Gallery of the Manhattan Borough President's office. This exhibition took place a few years after my interview with John Montone (see posting of January 6th 2010) and is the print we discussed in that interview.