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Playing cards are often featured in a multitude of tattoo designs – like the one in this blog post today. And the tattoo designs make full use of many of the symbols to be found in a deck of cards, all the way from the Ace of Spades, to the Queen of Hearts, to the ‘wild’ Joker. The modern pack of playing cards can be traced back to Medieval Europe, when cards were a dalliance of the rich. Printing techniques eventually made mass production possible so that playing cards became popular with common folk as well.
A deck of cards consisted of ‘royals’ (also called ‘court’ cards), comprised of King, Queen and Knight (later termed ‘Jack’) – and number cards ranging from the 2 (deuce) to 10. The Ace, which derived from the Latin for the ‘smallest coinage’, took the lowest value of one. The four suits, Spades, Hearts, Diamonds and Clubs (originally cups, swords, coins and batons) came in two colours, red and black. In the 1500s, a pack became standardized to the 52 cards we have today. If you want to see more samples of card tats – the link is here: www.tattoo22.com
This was a tough and challenging still life (my second). As you can see it included lots of glass, complicated wood texture and coloring, and a reflective surface on which all objects were placed. The toughest aspect of this painting was the backdrop itself. For some reason I struggled to match the color and the texture. Ahh, more to learn. Today I painted, cleaned the house and road my bike on the Foothills Parkway. Live oneth.
Here is a finished portrait that seems to have the right aspect ration and proportions, but I’m in need of more refinement – especially with eyes. Ok then. The prior ‘work-in-progress’ was close – but herein is the final. Paint oneth.
The two images herein are an attempt to use acrylics – and I’m not having much luck. The medium requires a “backward” process of dark to light paint layering because it dries so quickly. I took a few liberties with the photograph when translating it to a painting – which was taken in Hawai’i near Pu’uhonua o Honaunau. Aloha.
A few weeks ago while painting my first still life, I began thinking of my second painting. Go figure – HA! In the process of figuring out what to paint, I accumulated several Goodwill artifacts and various fabric elements to help for future projects. None of those objects from Goodwill were selected for still life #2 … I’ll savor those glass items for later.
On Monday of this week I began mixing paint – rather than draw out the still life. Painting is a time hog (more so than riding my bike which I’m still doing). Prior to mixing paint, I spent three hours preparing the still life set – which included re-building the stage, adjusting the lights, and adjusting the studio.
In a later post I’ll show a photo of the palette for this painting. I’ve not counted the total number of colors but I suspect I’m well beyond 50. Mixing paint was time intensive – it took a total of 9 hours. Earlier this afternoon I drew the still life in water color pencil to prepare for laying the paint. In the attached gallery images you’ll see that the first attempt to organize the layout failed. I erased it and started over. Over the weekend I’ll complete the painting – and I anticipate a total of 12 additonal hours. The total – 25 hours – makes the painting worth $875. More “whew!”
Protruding into Hilo Bay, just southeast of downtown, the Waiakea Peninsula is home to the Lili’uokalani Park and Gardens.
This beautiful and peaceful park in Hilo is dedicated to Queen Lydia Lili’uokalani – the greatly beloved and final Monarch of the Hawaiian islands. Queen Lili’uokalani ruled Hawai’i from January 17, 1891 until her illegal deposition on January 17, 1893 by American business, political, and military interests.
The 30-acre park grounds were donated by Queen Lili’uokalani for the purpose of creating this fantastic ornamental Japanese park which was built to honor the many hardworking Japanese immigrants who came to the Big Island to work the Waiakea Sugar Plantation. With over 30 acres this Yedo-style park is the largest true ornamental Japanese park outside of Japan, and is popular for tourists and locals alike.
Because the park sits on Hilo bay facing east, it has a perfect view of the morning sun as it rises over the majestic Pacific Ocean. This makes it one of the nicest places to come to, just before sunrise. Before the sun comes up you can find locals flinging fishnets into the ocean just on the other side of the park, catching the early morning hungry fish.
The park has various ’structures’ including a traditional Japanese Tea House named Shoroan. The chashitsu (tea room) was donated by the Fifteenth Grand Tea Master of Umsenke, named (Grand Tea Master SoshitsuSen). This house is used for tea ceremonies and can be booked for various events. The Tea House was destroyed by fire in 1994 (reportedly at the hands of high schoolers) but was rebuilt and stands proudly today.
A Japanese rock garden has been recently added to the park and the paths, walkways, and drive around the park were recently redone and are in excellent condition. While you may find signs of construction ‘here and there’ around the gardens, an indication that it is constantly being improved, most of the pristine 30 acres are nearly perfect in every aspect. Paths will take you up ornate bridges and over fishponds, only to take you down and through a shallow part of a pond. Because the park is at sea level, some of the fish ponds are open to the ocean through access beneath the road and this allows the tides to come up. Rising tides cause some of the paths to be watery, but this merely ads to the uniqueness and beauty of the area (this is a perfect place to wear rubbah slippahs or simply go barefoot).
Stonework is everywhere as are also half-moon bridges, gazebos, small pagodas, Torii gates, and much more. However, the layout is perfect allowing the eye plenty of time to enjoy and not be overwhelmed.
On our next visit, we’ll visit, enjoy, and relax at the beautiful Lili’uokalani Gardens in Hilo on the Big Island of Hawai’i. Like in three weeks.
The universal need to be accepted by others can be a barrier that prevents us from being ourselves around them. When we fear that the people we encounter will perceive us as inept or unintelligent, we frequently try to flaunt our grasp of large words or clever witticisms or our professional expertise in an effort to convince them that we are smart and capable. The reasons for feeling this way can be many, and they can often stem from as far back as your childhood.
Yet overcompensating for this fear can have the opposite effect if others are driven away by what they see as an immodest attitude or sense that you are urgently trying to prove yourself. The simple desire to be judged smart by both new and old acquaintances can cause you to reject your true self and adopt an affected persona. But in trying so persistently to project an image of supreme intelligence or capability, you deny others the opportunity to become acquainted with the real and terrific individual you truly are.
The fear that others will perceive you as unintelligent can further influence your behavior, causing you to consciously avoid speaking your mind or asking questions. You may feel uncomfortable participating in activities if there is a chance that you won’t excel or taking part in discussions with others who may have more knowledge than you. In essence, you become ashamed of who you are and attempt to encase your identity in a veneer that others will find pleasing and impressive. It is, however, a common fear—one experienced by almost everyone at some point in life.
The simplest way to combat it is to make a personal commitment to being yourself in your home, your workplace, and among strangers. Ask yourself how you believe the individuals you encounter will react should you speak awkwardly, need clarification, or fail to be the best at some activity. By being yourself, you will discover that all people make mistakes and ask questions and that others will like and respect you because they recognize the goodness in your soul.
The fact that you are willing to be yourself, letting your many affirmative attributes express themselves naturally, will help you make a positive first impression on everyone you meet and earn the esteem of your family and friends. Your confidence and easygoing manner will say, “this is who I am and I am proud of the person I have become.”
Based on the Super-sized World Atlas, there are more than 1,225 tiny islands spread over 29 separate atolls making the Marshall Islands a gem with lots of facets. I’ve read a bit about the history of the Marshallese and it is steeped in culture that lives literally on the ocean. Doing so meant that navigation skills were prized and passed down through the centuries through families and teachers. Pristine coral reefs teeming with life are a way of life for the Marshallese people.
All water sports are available and pursued with passion – especially scuba diving, boating and fishing. Bikini and Rongelap Atolls provide diverse diving and salt water fishing activities and draw sportsmen from around the world. Majuro, the capital of the Marshall Islands, is a mix of island tradition and modern culture. I’m feeling as if I need to save up a few more points and just ‘go.’ Even if it’s a photo-adventure, it sounds worthy of an expedition. And worthy while I’m relatively young – so I can enjoy the adventure. Marshall oneth
A friend sent me an email recently and asked if I was traveling to the Marshall Islands this year. No was my answer – but I said I’m headed back to Hawaii in May for a couple of weeks. Then I began thinking of Marshall and opened up my Super-sized World Atlas to look a little closer.
The Marshall Islands is unique because it’s one of only four totally Atoll Nations in the world. Basically that means islands are strewn over a wide area (of the Pacific). When I say wide area we’re talking an area covering 750,000 square miles of crystal clear Pacific Ocean. Can I get an “Ahhhh.” If not, look at the photo and give me an ahh.
According to my Oxford American online dictionary, jealousy is described as “resentment, bitterness, spite, distrust, mistrust, insecurity, anxiety, possessiveness and so on.” The bottom line for me on this: a jealous person is somehow resentful of another’s success, achievements, advantages, etc.
Jealousy’s close cousin is envy, and while closely related, there is a difference. Using my trusty online dictionary here’s what I learned: “envy denotes a longing to possess something awarded to or achieved by another person while jealousy denotes a feeling of resentment that another has gained something that one more rightfully deserves.”
Jealousy can be categorized as unhealthy or healthy, depending on a person’s motives. Unhealthy jealousy is grounded in fear, insecurity, deception, or covetousness. When feeling jealousy, it’s best to examine the reasons for those feelings. First, is there a real threat truly or is it perceptual?
Jealousy can be good – and it needs to be developed in family-unit relationships. This type of jealousy is closely aligned with our innate nature to protectively fight for and then maintain relationships. Simply stated, the average person would not sit on the sidelines while another attempts to seduce his/her spouse, verbally attack with wrongful words, or deceive your child. The average person would fight for them – doing everything possible to declare the truth. I’ve not seen much of the fighting for me – ever – so it bugs me when a significant other sits on the sideline either laughing like a hussy or acting as if they can’t respond. Either way – it sucks.
The adventure with the Oxford American online dictionary helped me clarify and affirm my own feelings about jealousy. After reading the definition, I’m convinced that I’ve exhibited both varieties – healthy and unhealthy as everyone does/has from time-to-time. I suggest it’s better to appreciate one another and stand up for people whom we supposdly love.
Otherwise, when we profess words of love, the words are just that – words. And words aren’t enough.
