Author Archives: Karen

Brushstrokes: A Portrait of an Artist’s Reflection

As a writer, we describe the world we know. Sights, sounds, colors, and textures are all brushstrokes painted in words like an artist paints his images on canvas. A story is told through our imagination that is happening in a place that is rooted in our minds. The location of a story’s actions, along with the time in which it occurs, is all part of the reflection of our settings.
 

Many writers may leave a lot of detail up to the reader’s imagination, while others are quite descriptive on the page. But when we use our senses to help our characters fit into their surroundings, it will visibly reflect the perception of tension that drives the story in our novels.
 

Let’s look at an artist’s brushstrokes and see how it reflects on his work!
 


 

The artist’s name is Jason de Graaf.
 

Jason was born in Montreal, Canada in 1971. He now lives and works in the Quebec area, where he labors for hours on end in almost total isolation to complete his intricate pieces.
 

His life sounds much like a writer, doesn’t it?
 

Jason de Graaf’s meticulous attention to detail conflicts texture with unyielding surfaces in his intensely arranged still lifes. But his work is not just a demonstration of photo-like talent. “The deceptive reflections focus on a realm of reality that exists outside of the painting’s frame. He stretches depth and skews perspective ever so slightly, infusing the painting with a spectre of mystery that pushes the viewer to search for an ever-escaping point of equilibrium.”
 

Listen to what Mr. De Graaf says of his own work.”My paintings are about staging an alternate reality, the illusion of verisimilitude on the painted surface, filtered so that it expresses my unique vision.”
 

Verisimilitude? Yes I know, I had to go look that one up!
 

It’s a great word. It means truth, credibility, authenticity, reliability, plausibility and likelihood. It encompasses the embodiment of his work and would aptly describe the detailing and reflections on metallic objects that are Jason’s specialty.
 

Take a look along with the one above…
 


 


 


 

Jason also states that his goal is not to “reproduce or document faithfully what I see one hundred percent, but also to create the illusion of depth and a sense of presence not found in photographs.
 

“To that end I don’t strictly adhere to the reference material at hand. I use photographs, objects or people, as a springboard or a means to explore my sense of aesthetics and ability as a picture maker. I use colours and composition intuitively with the intent of imbuing my paintings with emotion, mood and mystery. Throughout, I try to remain open to new ideas and surprises as the painting unfolds.”
 

Wow! Doesn’t that sound like our goal as a writer? Like Jason, do we not use photographs, objects or people along with a sense of imagination as a springboard for our writing? Though it is impossible to produce perfection, our brushstrokes are able to create an illusion of reality and a sense of emotion in every one of our characters—all part of the reflection of our settings.
 

A brushstroke of an artist indeed!
 
 

So what do you think? What kind of sensory details do you like to use in your writing? What are some of the settings that you enjoy using as a backdrop to your characters? Have you heard of Jason de Graaf or seen his work before? How do people or pictures inspire you?
 

By the way, I have something special coming up for next week. I have a guest author who will be sharing some of her insight on writing and giving away six books! Yes, you read that right, six books. So be sure to tell everyone you know to drop by next week on Wednesday, June 20th. There’ll be lots of winners!
 
 

Thank you everyone for dropping by and for all your wonderful comments!
Karen
 
 

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The Sun Shines Over England

I have never personally experienced this phenomenon when visiting this beautiful country, so I didn’t quite believe my friend Christine MacKenzie when she had said on her blog post that the sun does shine in England. Well you can only imagine how excited I was when I stumbled upon this picture that was taken towards the end of April.


 
Look! The sky is bright as the clouds depart, the sun shines over large Olympic rings that decorate this lush emerald green lawn at the Royal Botanic Gardens, near London. At the start of July, England’s capital is hosting the Summer Olympics.
 

First, for those of you who don’t know, there’s a certain event that’s also been making a big splash across the pond over the last several days. It seems England has a preoccupation with this thing called a Monarchy. Apparently their Queen, that would be Queen Elizabeth II, who is now 86 years old by the way, is celebrating her Diamond Jubilee—60 years of reigning over the British Empire. No other British Monarch over the last 1,000 years has reigned for that amount of time except Queen Victoria.
 

Yes, a very big splash indeed!
 

It’s hard to conceive just how many people will invade London, England to attend these two enormous occasions. The crowds, the police, all the pomp and circumstance—It’s quite an undertaking. Yet, there is a special event towards the end of this summer that will be like icing on a cake! Like dessert with a cherry on top.
 

This would be known as the Paralympics!
 

The first Paralympic games were held in Rome in 1960. Since then, there have been 14 games. This year, with its 4200 participants set to take part from all over the world, it will be the biggest game of its kind ever. For the first time, London will host the event starting August 29th through September 9th with 16 new countries represented.
 

The Paralympics has become so big that the event will be broadcast to an estimated 4 billion people around the world. And this past Monday, June 4th, it was announced that the British rock band Coldplay will perform at the games closing ceremony.
 

Wow! Now, that’s cool!
 

For those with inquiring minds, here are some of the events taking place:

Archery, Athletics, Cycling (both Road and Track), Equestrian, Football, Judo, Powerlifting, Rowing, Sailing, Shooting, Swimming, Table Tennis, Volleyball, Wheelchair Basketball, Wheelchair Fencing, Wheelchair Rugby and Wheelchair Tennis.
 

L.A. Galaxy Football star David Beckham described the event as a “real privilege.” He said, “This has just been one of the most exciting things. There have been…two million kids around the country trying out Paralympic sport. It is so amazing.” And that’s just in England. Beckham was part of the Olympic bid team that brought it to the country. To anyone who still thinks that disability sport is not a real sport and that it doesn’t count, Beckham said: “Give it a try— it is as simple as that. You do not learn anything until you try.”
 

And try he did. Here’s Beckham playing blind football with a team at a London school.
 


 

Now that’s inspiring!
 

So inspiring that for the very first time, tickets for the Paralympics are expected to sell out!
 

Whether we’re athletes or artists, we all have special gifts—although some may be more inspiring than others. But I think we can all agree that no matter what the weather is forecast to be, while those amazing athletes compete for Olympic greatness, the sun will shine over not just England, but the entire globe! 🙂
 

So what do you think? Have you ever traveled over the pond to England? Are you planning to attend or watch the Olympics? What are some of the games that you enjoy watching? Had you ever heard of the Paralympics? Have you known anyone who has competed in an Olympic event?
 

Thank you everyone for dropping by and for all your wonderful comments!
Karen
 
 

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Bridge of Sighs

My post today isn’t about an architectural fantasy involving Antonio Contino’s bridge in Venice over the Rio di Palazzo, erected in the year 1600, connecting the Doge’s prisons with the inquisitor’s rooms of the main palace. Although it was Lord Byron who helped to popularize this belief by naming that water overpass, “Bridge of Sighs.”
 

Nor am I talking about a song with the same title written by a British guitarist in the mid 1970’s named Robin Trower.
 

Who?
 

Never mind.
 

No, I am talking about another world famous bridge that just celebrated 75 years of expansion over the San Francisco bay, the “Golden Gate” bridge. And it was just last weekend, on May 27th that the city celebrated with fireworks and crowning sun-bright sparkle enhancements.


 
Like a diamond set atop of the bridge’s own tower’s, it began flashing narrow beams of reflective light throughout the San Francisco Bay area in an installation matrimony of art and science—a project called Solar Beacon, all part of a yearlong celebration of the bridge.
 

Two sets of mirrors or heliostats sit on top of the bridge’s two 746 foot towers, two feet apart, swivel and tilt by motors directed by cellphone commands. They call this Art in Progress. “It’s never been done before and we don’t know what it’s going to look like,” said Mr. Vallerga, one of the volunteers.
 

Normally, they build this type of thing for astronomical spacecraft, including the ones bound for Pluto and Jupiter. That kind of work is very utilitarian and it’s not often appreciated for its artistic value. The idea started when Mr. Vallerga and his colleague Pat Jelinsky approached an artist-in-residence, Liliane Lijn at a space lab in London in 2005.
 

They wanted to build prism heliostats that would convert sunlight into refracted rainbow of colors that would beam from on top of a hill, like the Hollywood Hills in Los Angeles or near the Griffith Observatory, but they were unable to drum up enough support. Thus the Golden Gate’s 75th Diamond Anniversary with a mountain ridge in France soon on the horizon.
 

So why the reference to the Golden Gate as a Bridge of Sighs?
 

Apparently the bridge is a public health hazard. Because it doesn’t have adequate safety barriers, it continues to be the world’s most popular suicide location. Since its opening on May 27, 1937, there have been an estimated 1,558 deaths by jumping. And that’s only counting those they’ve been able to recover. In other words, it’s estimated that every two and a half days someone tries to jump.
 

(Kevin Hines views an exhibit of 1,558 pairs of shoes during the celebration. The shoes represent known suicides that have jumped from the bridge. Hines, one of six people to survive a suicide attempt from the bridge, urges barriers be installed.)
 

The disquieting number of suicides speaks of a dark history surrounding this renowned public structure. With all its beauty and brilliance in engineering and construction, the question is asked, “How do we weigh its value against the reality of tragedy?”
 

Officials have voted to install a suicide deterrent to the bridge, but no money has been allotted. Then there are those who oppose a barrier because they think it will ruin the appearance of the bridge, yet the Eiffel Tower, the Empire State Building, St. Peter’s Basilica, the Duomo in Florence, the Sydney Harbour Bridge and many other international landmarks have suicide barriers. But not the Golden Gate Bridge?
 

A happy anniversary to you Golden Gate Bridge!
 

Well, perhaps not. It is felt that only when the Golden Gate Bridge has a safety net will the day truly be worth celebrating. Until that time, it will continue to be thought of as a “Bridge of Sighs.”
 

So what do you think? Have you ever traveled to Venice, Italy and walked across the “Bridge of Sighs?” Have you taken a trip to the San Francisco area and driven across the “Golden Gate Bridge,” perhaps on a day trip to the wine country? Have you ever written a character that may have jumped off a bridge? Or taken a leap of faith?
 

Thank you everyone for dropping by and for all your wonderful comments!
Karen
 

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Habits Are Hard to Swallow


 
For longer than it’s been recorded, Swallows have been coming to San Juan Capistrano. The birds leave to fly home to Argentina in the autumn for winter and fly back to make their appearance in the spring.
 

Every year hundreds flocked together, forming a gray assembly of feathers like storm clouds soaring in the sky. The swallows even draw media attention, their story spreading far beyond this quaint little mission town.
 

These tiny birds would come to make their nests. Small mud-hives could be found clinging to everything from house eaves to nearby creek beds to freeway overpasses causing motorists to flip on their windshield wipers as they drove by underneath.
 

Been there, done that!
 

But nowhere were they noticed more than at the Mission San Juan Capistrano. All along the cathedral’s high stone walls that rise like a rocky precipice, which was badly damaged during an earthquake in the early 19th century—now became the perfect spot for swallows to create their clusters of muddy nests.
 

Then years later, the mission found themselves in a muddy mess. They were forced to do away with the swallow’s nests in order to stabilize and preserve the structure as the surrounding urban population grew making this famous bird’s sanctuary walls no longer homey. Slowly, the birds began to disappear. So much so that almost daily the mission officials say they were asked, “When will the swallows return to Capistrano?”
 

I find this hard to swallow!
 

It seems, not only had the swallow’s natural habitat been disturbed, but over decades, local businesses became dependent on the revenue they received from all the visitors who came to see these precious migratory birds. So the search was on for a solution.
 

First, they tried to replicate the nests by bringing in ceramic hives which turned out to be unsuccessful after experts had criticized the idea saying, “No cliff swallow would ever use it!” They also brought in swarms of ladybugs hoping they would lure the swallows back with one of their favorite treats. Well, that didn’t work either. So now what would they do?
 

You won’t believe this. They brought in an expert!
 

A biologist from the University of Tulsa, Oklahoma who had ties to the mission after lecturing there in the past, having spent over 30 years in researching the cliff swallow. It turns out that Charles Brown has a personal interest in these birds that became a lifelong pursuit. “They do everything as a group,” he said. “I don’t know of any other natural spectacle that’s equal to it.”
 

So as a last ditch effort, Mr. Brown made the suggestion to lure the birds back by playing a reproduction of their mating call through a large speaker hooked to an iPod placed against one of the mission walls, although he admits that his experiment is a long shot. “The landscape isn’t suitable for them anymore. It will be a struggle to keep them there.”
 

Apparently this habit is not hard to swallow because as the speaker squawked a luring mating call one late afternoon last month, a few remaining visitors at the Mission San Juan Capistrano noticed a dash of orange on a sparrow-sized bird. Yes, they came back!
 

Okay, this got my wheels churning.
 

What? Did you think I was just going to leave you with the birds?
 

Apparently, whether man or foul—creatures are habitual. To be effective, what things can we do to make the most out of our hard habits in order to be successful? Well, I found something to share with you that just might help. But please keep in mind these are not my words, but a condensed version from a man named Stephan R. Covey who sold more than 25 million copies of his book:
 

“Seven Habits of Highly Effective People”
 

• Habit 1: Take the initiative by realizing that our decisions are the primary determining factor for effectiveness in our life.
 
• Habit 2: Self-discover and clarify our deeply important character values and goals. Envision the best characteristics for each of our various roles and relationships in life.
 
• Habit 3: Plan, prioritize, and execute our week’s tasks based on importance rather than urgency and evaluate whether our efforts exemplify our desired values that help propel us toward our goals.
 
• Habit 4: Strive to value and respect others in our relationships.
 
• Habit 5: Be a genuine empathic listener which compels others to reciprocate.
 
• Habit 6: Combine the strengths of people through positive teamwork, so as to achieve goals no one person could have done alone.
 
• Habit 7: Balance and renew our resources, energy, and health to create a sustainable, long-term, effective lifestyle.
 
 

So what do you think? Have you heard of the migratory Swallows of San Juan Capistrano? Do you think they’ll make a comeback to their natural habitat? Do you think that Life is going to the birds? (Just thought I’d throw that one in! LOL!) 🙂 What habits do you find helpful and effective in your daily routine?
 
 

Thank you everyone for dropping by and for all your wonderful comments!
Karen
 
 

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Breasts: An Endangered Specie


 
I’m beginning to think that a certain part of the female anatomy should be added to the list of endangered species. Why do I say this?
 

First of all, I do not wish to approach this subject from the perception of body imaging. August McLaughlin did a wonderful job on this topic already this week with her post, “Body Image: Exploring Myths & Walking the Walk.”
 

No, my reason for saying this has more to do with our environment, both physical and in nature. I read a review the other day about a book that was recently release by a woman named Florence Williams. Then after finishing it I thought I would share with you some of the highlights.
 

One out of every eight women today will develop breast cancer in their life and more than 5 million women have had implants. That’s quite a staggering statistic, wouldn’t you say?
 

Although I have lived among two high income communities in my life that exude all things augmented, as if a teenage girl’s rite into the throngs of womanhood should include an emboldened pair of new breasts, this is not what I wish to focus on. Yet, to those woman who have fought the fine fight and won their battle with that dastardly evil malignancy, I am happy that modern science has had a positive restorative affect on your bodies. 🙂
 

It seems that whether we are man or woman, we love those glandular beauties known as breasts, yet we don’t take them seriously enough. Florence writes, “We name them affectionately, but with a hint of insult. Breasts embarrass us. They’re unpredictable. They’re goofy. They can turn both babies and grown men into lunkheads.”
 

Okay, those were her words, not mine!
 

Breasts feed us, nurture us and excite us. But the most versatile organ in the female body can also kill us. They are made up of fat and estrogen receptors— so they “soak up pollution like a pair of soft sponges.” Williams, an award-winning science writer, investigates why breasts are assaulted equally by men and a rising number of chemicals in the environment.
 

Ms. Williams, 45, who now has an eight year old daughter was inspired to write her book when she agreed to participate in a study of her breast milk while she was nursing her daughter. The results were shocking— her milk was full of chemicals, from pesticides to flame retardants.
 

Say what?
 

“There were reports about toxic and chemical contaminants showing up in breast milk—it was a great way to tell the story first-person,” she told ABCNews.com. “I realized there was so much about breasts people don’t know.” Now Florence worries about research that shows girls are beginning puberty and developing breasts younger, perhaps because of exposure to pollutants. “There are hundreds of chemicals coursing through our blood,” she said.
 

I don’t know about all of you but to me this is scary stuff. As a Mother I know that it was important to me to give my baby the best start in life and had made the decision to breast feed my children when they were born. After all, according to Ms. Williams, mother’s milk is “always the right temperature; it has the correct balance of lipids, proteins and sugars. It is medicinal, nutritious, and, to a baby, delicious.” But to find out about this chemical information I guess was just a little more shocking than I had anticipated.
 

Her study also includes a phenomenon not considered before: Breast milk contains a substance comparable to marijuana and is sold on the Internet in the neighborhood of 262 times the price of crude oil.
 

Why are we always forced to pay more for something that’s supposed to be healthy?
 

But her biggest concern is the vulnerability of breasts with cancer rates doubling since the 1940s. She can’t say for a certainty that chemicals in the environment cause breast cancer, but she says that the breast is the one organ in the body that is not fully developed until adulthood or even the last trimester of pregnancy.
 

“For many years, breast cells are interchangeable and more vulnerable and so are susceptible,” she said. Girls who go through puberty earlier are also at greater risk for breast cancer as adults. “We don’t know why,” she said.
 

Really?
 

I thought that this point was interesting: In Europe chemicals must be proven safe before entering the marketplace. But according to Ms. Williams, “We have the opposite in the U.S. and don’t take them off the market until they are proven harmful.”
 

The article ended this way: Advances in science give reason for optimism, but “regulatory agencies and the public in general are generally blind to where science is. Our bodies are intimately connected to the world around us,” said Williams. “If we live in an environment filled with pollution, these things will and do affect our health.”
 

Whatever our personal viewpoint is on this subject, I think it’s safe to say that the breasts we are born with, whether man or woman, are under assault and at risk of becoming an endangered specie. How many of us have or know someone whose been affected by Breast cancer? Or cancer period?
 

There’s just too many of us!
 

I don’t know about you, but I’m going to go re-read my article, “Sexy as a Rockstar” and start eating more of that bad boy Kale and detox once I finish writing this post! 🙂
 
 

So what do you think? What is your personal feeling about this subject? Have you or someone you love been affected by Breast cancer? And what do you think about our toxic environment? And how has it affected you?
 
 

Thank you everyone for dropping by and for all your wonderful comments!
Karen
 
 
 

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