Cards that are about more than communication.

Although we are in the throes of winter, I am working on my collection of invitations that preserve a moment in time, event program covers that enhance an occasion, and creating note–cards that are about more than communication. My desire to bring back the practice of sending a paper card is even stronger than it was a short time ago when my friends and I were discussing the pitfalls of sending “E–cards” about which I blogged in a previous post, and I am thinking ahead to the forthcoming seasons and images that might celebrate them.

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:

Snowy days. Starry nights. "And since we've no place to go, Let it go, Let it go, Let it go..." (A Case For Not Sending 'E' Cards)

Engaging conversations. Sipping Papillon Hermitage. Snacking on Prince De Clavrolle Cheese and a baguette from Tom Cat Bakery as we make up our own words to the "Let it snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow"  song and replace them with "Let it Go, Let it Go, Let it Go." 

We are snow-bound in my studio apartment and looking out onto my terrace garden celebrating my winter note-card collection and so this is my first 'in-between-Saturdays-post.' 

We are not 'E' card people, and while we are fairly proficient in using the computer, and are very much concerned about our environment (we don't "waste" paper), we like to keep in touch in a personal way which is often by mailing a card.

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.

My Garden-themed Note-Cards

I received a notification from Fine Art America (FAA) that "someone" purchased my greeting cards and one of them, A NYC Rooftop Garden is featured in the image atop this entry. 

The other one, Echinacea Triplets, can be viewed in the  screenshot directly below.

FAA does not disclose the name of a given buyer but every now and then a buyer lets me know which is the case with GK, the woman who purchased these cards. She notified me that she had bought them and I'm grateful for the sale and that she took the time to let me know. GK and I met over ten years ago when Vivianne Tvilling (owner of äskling a boutique that was on the UWS for a number of years) had an event.

As for these particular cards, they feature views of my garden, which is the setting for my three volume book series, Words In Our Beak.  These are directed to children and adults who are curious about gardening as well as birds and want to learn about them from a unique perspective.

MY BOOK SERIES

The stories are set in my garden and these books are narrated by a female cardinal whose picture is on the cover of each volume. 

They make a perfect gift anytime but especially during the Easter season which began on April 14th 2021 and lasts until May 23rd.

Monday's Memo: 2020's Halloween Note-cards Are Now Available

JACK-O-LANTERN BIRDWATCHING

This past Saturday here on Blogger, I published an entry re my Halloween-themed totes and discussed the fact that on 9-22-2020, re the COVID-19 pandemic (cornavirus) the CDC stated "for people who were planning to go trick-or-treating on Halloween this year: don't..."   

And I pointed out the CDC urged people to "Avoid activities that are higher risk for spread," and to "Consider fun alternatives that pose lower risk of spreading the virus that causes COVID-19." 

Within that entry I featured images of my new line of Halloween-themed totes and concluded with a promise that I would publish post on 10-5-2020 (which is today) to offer information re my selection of my 2020 Halloween cards. After all, sending cards is a perfect way to celebrate Halloween safely.

My Halloween cards are sized 5" by 7" and produced by Finr Art America (FAA). They use digital offset printers and 100 lb paper that has a UV protectant. The image is semi-gloss and the inside of the card is matte and blank so one can write a message, but if you prefer, FAA can customize any text or message that you want to include.

The card featured in the image atop this posting is from a few years ago but by popular demand it is also available this year. The ones which are directly below all have matching canvas bags/totes/pouches (that are available in three sizes which is described in the aforementioned post).

ALL HALLOWS EVE

HALLOWEEN IN THE GARDEN

EIGHT LITTLE PUMPKINS

FOUR LITTLE PUMPKINS

JACK-O-LANTERNS SUNBATHING

JACK-O-LANTERNS LAUGHING

THE PUMPKIN CHOIR

I realize Halloween is twenty-one days from now and I don't like to rush the entrance of the holiday, but due to time needed for shipping (in the event you'd like to purchase items mentioned here), I thought it best to give a heads up now.

Reminder:No Posting Today: Autumn Travel

As I indicated in my first entry, an "unofficial" post, before the regularity of this blog there will be no posting today, October 16th 2010. At the time I posted this information, I knew I'd be making a trip to see the fall foliage, but had no way of knowing it would be to Vermont Stage in Burlington Vermont to see Donna Wandrey, a client who purchased wrap-around cards, whom I wrote about in an earlier post. She is playing Amanda in Tennessee William's play, The Glass Menagerie. I referred to this play in a previous post relating to memories and note-cards. That was back in the winter - long before Donna's accepting the role of Amanda. I will be back to my regularly scheduled posting on October 23rd, 2010 but will post a review before then.

FALL 2018 ADDENDUM: 

I no longer actively produce event program covers, invitations and the types of greeting cards described here or on my website but arrangements might be able to be made under certain circumstances. My focus is on the Words In Our Beak book series, pictured below...

WORDS IN OUR BEAK BOOK SERIES

...whose stories are told from the point of view of Cam, a female cardinal, whose photo is on the cover of each book. Words In Our Beak’s goal is to open readers to a simple understanding of the winged world and their environment. Set in my rooftop garden in NYC,  Words In Our Beak is directed to children and adults who are curious about birds, and want to learn about them from a unique perspective. The books include hundreds of images of flora and fauna, links to movies, as well as to informative narratives that have been created by the author.

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.

SUMMER 2020 ADDENDUM: 

                             

"Never say never," the saying goes, and I suppose that applies to saying, "I no longer....," which I did in my 2018 addendum and now I'm here to announce at the advice of Chris Deatherage, my book series formatter, who is also my web-master (for patriciayoungquist.com) I now have some versions of the greeting cards that are referenced in this blog post available via FAA, please click here to view them.

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."

Friday's Fact: Mourning doves have their love to keep them warm!

MOURNING DOVES ARE FEATURED IN WIOB

It's been very cold and I've been wearing layer upon layer, but Mourning doves don't have to bundle up when the temps are so low, all they do is puff up (as evidenced by the image atop this entry which was taken in my garden the other day). Another way they may be keeping warm is by their love for their partner.

Feather by Feather

I've been very overwhelmed by my circumstances which have been aggravated by a number of consequences re the coronavirus pandemic. I'm now behind in every level for many of my tasks from the mundane to major projects and it's getting out of hand. 

Therefore visits to my garden by Mourning doves have become more important than ever.

In Loving Memory of Aunt Grace Fitchie . . . (And One Reason I Like the Paper Card)

My blog, as you may know, is only a little over a year old and has only recently celebrated its anniversary. Today, like an occasional WNYC (NPR) program of The Brian Lehrer Show,  Prairie Home Companion, Car Talk and even Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me, in which repeats of favorite shows are aired again, I am repeating part of an entry from February 2010. This is in honor of Grace Fitchie, my dear great aunt pictured in the photograph posted above, standing in the middle of the last row next to my grandmother, Clara May, who is at Grace's left hand side. 

Grace was born on this day, January the third, in the early 1900's, I blogged about her in February 2010. She was an influence on my knowing the value of sending cards, and one that she sent me, over forty years ago, is still an impetus for me to continue to persevere in the new year with my designs of cards that are about more than communication, invitations that preserve moments in time, and event program covers that enhance an occasion, in keeping with the mission I have laid out in my philosophy which I have mentioned in numerous occasions within this blog.

Tar Beach Officially Opened Yesterday

The sighting of a Mourning dove using my rooof extension garden as his "tar beach" took place in my garden yesterday on the first day of spring. He can be seen in the two images atop this entry.

It felt a little cold to me but then I don't have feathers to keep me warm. However for this avian variety, the moment temperatures start to warm up a bit they lie with their tummy down upon the soil of a garden bed or in this case, being a New Yorker, they are familiar with tar beaches so they improvise. 

They fluff out their feathers, relax their wings, draping them outward to expose fully their "back and rump to the morning sun. A great many birds sun themselves, often in postures that give maximum sun exposure to the head, neck, and upper surfaces of the body and wings. Sunning may drive out parasites from hard-to-reach places or release vitamin D and boost energy reserves with solar radiation. And it may just feel good, too." (To read more re this quoted text, please click here).

This place is the setting for my three volume hardcover book series, Words In Our Beak.

MY BOOK SERIES

The books make a perfect gift for someone who may be in quarantine or lockdown due to consequences of the coronavirus because the stories in them can bring the outdoors into the homes of those who cannot go out and about.

The Last Saturday of Summer 2010 and the fate of Pennisetum setaceum 'Rubrum'

Upright and arching, this graceful Purple Fountain Grass, Pennisetum setaceum 'Rubrum,' with its delicate plumes that stretch up and out is a type of ornamental grass which is often used in clusters, mass plantings or along slopes. I like it to be showcased where it can be appreciated on its own. 

As seen (in the photo above) in its placement next to my Acer palmatum, 'Shigitatsu Sawa,' the contrast of their textures and colors compliment each other. Some say when planted in clusters, the fountain grass provides privacy by creating a hedge. 

For an urban — New York City — terrace garden, I find it to do the same - even as a 'single' when planted in a beautiful container and placed on bamboo shelving which I've attached to my terrace wall to provide a shield from a voyeur neighbor whose bathroom window looks onto my terrace.

I hope to render these images into invitations, event program covers, and note-cards. Please continue to visit my web-site for details. As today is the last calendar day of summer, and my 'Rubrum' is not "winter-hearty" for the New York City temperature zone, I have to be vigilant about watching for the onset of frost, but right before that happens the purple grasses can be cut and used in flower arrangements.

FALL 2018 ADDENDUM: 

I no longer actively produce event program covers, invitations and the types of greeting cards described here or on my website but arrangements might be able to be made under certain circumstances. My focus is on the Words In Our Beak book series, pictured below...

MY BOOK SERIES

...whose stories are told from the point of view of Cam, a female cardinal, whose photo is on the cover of each book. Words In Our Beak’s goal is to open readers to a simple understanding of the winged world and their environment. Set in my rooftop urban garden in New York City. Words In Our Beak is directed to children and adults who are curious about birds, and want to learn about them from a unique perspective. The books include hundreds of images of flora and fauna, links to movies, as well as to informative narratives that have been created by the author.

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.

Pretty Handsome In Pink

Nearly two weeks ago, here on Blogger, I posted something regarding the fact that the bird type known as Mourning doves (both genders) have blue eyelids, which can be seen in the image atop this entry.

Reminder: 30 (Thirty) days hath November

Tonight is the last Saturday in October. October, the tenth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, every year ends on the same day of the week as the month of February. 

This fact has no bearing on this particular posting except that while endings are inevitable, they don't have to be rushed. 

Tonight's eve of Octobers end is also called Corn Night, and with the promise of tomorrow's celebration of Halloween, reminds me, that although with next week's clock (November 7th) change back to standard time, the days will not be getting longer: they are in danger of becoming increasingly shorter. 

Rather a pumpkin is smashed to smithereens on this mischievous Corn Night, or lovingly taken down on Halloween tomorrow, or within the next few days to come, we will have to be vigilant to hang on to all traces of living each of Autumn's moments - or any moments in time for that matter.

"Spring is just around the corner?"

Atop this entry is a copy of a Mutts comic strip created by Patrick McDonnell. It was initially emailed to me this morning, February 21, 2021. We are still dealing with a lot of snow here  in NYC and as you can see in the next set of three pictures, Mourning doves, visiting my snowy garden appear unphased to know that spring does not seem to be around the corner.

They are a bird type featured in my book series, series, Words In Our Beak.

MY BOOK SERIES

The books make a perfect gift for someone who may be in quarantine or lockdown due to consequences of the coronavirus because the stories in them can bring the outdoors into the homes of those who cannot go out and about.

Friday's Fact: Birdie's got blue eyelids!

The entertainer Elton John sang a song in which the lyrics included, "Blue eyes. Blue eyes. Baby's got blue eyes" and — as I've mentioned over the years on social media including prior posts within this blog— I often think of those lyrics when Mourning doves visit my garden, as was the case yesterday.

Upon seeing a couple of them (who are featured in the photo-ops atop this entry),  I found myself once again putting a spin on Elton John as I sang softly to this creature, "Blue eye lids. Blue eye lids. Birdie's got blue eye lids." 

Mourning doves are so inspiring on many levels.

Keeping up an outdoor Christmas tree is for the birds. Tuesday's Truths WK 206

We are still dealing with a lot of snow here  in NYC and as you can see in the set of four pictures atop this enty, House sparrows, visiting my snowy garden appear to have found solace within the branches of my Christmas tree which is still up outside.

I have taken off the lights as well as my tree topper (star) but I've left the tree up so my avian friends can find shelter and warmth during winter storms.

Meditation for Easter Sunday 2021

In addition to a lone American robin visiting my garden yesterday (4-3-2021), a pair of Mourning doves spent many hours here. They are featured in the image atop this entry.

I am comforted being in their presence which is not surprising, given the consensus is that this bird type "represents peace and safety. However, a pair of these doves, in literature, presents a picture of devotion, love, and friendship. The mourning doves are said to encourage healing, after one lets go of emotional baggage. They represent forgiveness, release, peace, and finally moving on, or forward."

I am certainly in need of healing physically (dental wise) but I’m also in need of emotional healing  (due to my feeling broken over re the actions of someone), so I welcomed these doves as well as any healing they can offer.

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.