Clancy Tucker's Blog, page 95

30 December 2019 - A WHOLE BUNCH OF INSPIRING QUOTES

A WHOLE BUNCH OF INSPIRING QUOTES
G'day folks,
It's time to share some inspiring quotes. They might inspire some New Year's resolutions.























Clancy's comment: There ya go. Pass them on.
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29 December 2019 - CERRO BLANCO - AN AMAZING PILE OF SAND IN PERU

CERRO BLANCO - AN AMAZING PILE OF SAND IN PERU -
G'day folks,This unimaginably large pile of sand near Nazca is one of the tallest dunes in the world.  Sand dunes are tricky things to measure, but Cerro Blanco near Nazca, Peru, has a legitimate claim to being one of the tallest dunes on the planet. It’s certainly the largest in Peru, and potentially in the world.   Cerro Blanco, also known as Duna Grande, rises up in the deserts to the southeast of the city of Nazca. At around 3,860 feet (1,176 meters) from base to peak, the giant sand dune is taller than the highest mountain in England. From its peak, you can see the entire Nazca Valley and, on a particularly clear day, the Pacific Ocean.

The Nazca civilization once believed the dune to be a source of water, even believing some kind of lake or reservoir lay at its center. Some locals still believe this legend and walk up to the top of the dune to leave offerings, in much the same way as the Nazca before them.





Sandboarders also make the exhausting trek up to the top of the dune, where the sun beats down and the dry wind offers little relief from the heat. They might also zip up in a 4x4 dune buggy, which seems far more sensible but isn’t always easy to arrange, as even the most nimble of vehicles struggle to get up the dune.




Either way, once at the top these thrill-seekers have a largely unimpeded path from peak to base, enjoying uninterrupted slides of 2,600 feet or more down the steep face of the dune. The descent lasts around four minutes at full speed - or a lot longer if you keep falling over. 




 Clancy's blog: The world certainly is an interesting place to explore.

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28 December 2019 - HIDDEN TUNNEL BENEATH THE NEW YORKER HOTEL, NEW YORK

HIDDEN TUNNEL BENEATH THE NEW YORKER HOTEL, NEW YORK 
G'day folks,
I'm forever finding abandoned places and secret tunnels. Well, here is another. This beautiful tunnel  that ran from the lobby to Penn Station is still hidden underneath 34th Street. 
The New Yorker hotel’s giant red sign dominates West 34th Street, and the hotel is often photographed as a city landmark, mostly on account of its name. Yet the history of the building is largely unknown. The New Yorker is filled with untold secrets and forgotten stories, including (though by no means limited to) the beautiful Art Deco tunnel that ran from the lobby to Penn Station, which is still hidden underneath 34th Street.



Today, thousands of tourists and New Yorkers walk by the bustling corner of Eighth Avenue and 34 Street not knowing that this humble hotel hides a vast private power plant that could have powered a small city; a gleaming forgotten bank vault underneath the lobby; and an old dining room that came complete with a retractable ice floor, where diners could sip cocktails while watching a twirling glamorous dance show.



But underneath the dance floor lies something even more remarkable and secret. Through the basement, beyond a sealed door, the tunnel is filled with excess old hotel fittings, chairs, carpets, and beautiful Art Deco tiling. Walking through the tunnel takes you directly underneath 34th Street in a zig-zag shape. At the far end is a brass door that would lead today onto the platform near the E line, though the MTA blocked the other side off sometime in the 1960s.



A 1930s brochure in the hotel archives advertises the tunnel as “So Convenient!” Showing a map of midtown Manhattan, it proudly notes that one of the leading amenities of the hotel is a “private tunnel linking the New Yorker to Penn Station.” 
Drawn on the map is a depiction of an underground pass leading from the hotel to not just Penn Station, but as far as the Empire State Building.



Today, part of the New Yorker’s revitalization has been its embrace and celebration of its Art Deco heritage. Artifacts from a meticulously collected archive are on display in the lobby and in a small adjacent museum, where visitors can experience the golden era of the hotel, while listening to the big bands who once graced its ballrooms.


Clancy's comment:  These tunnels just keep popping up, eh?

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27 December 2019 - AWESOME PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THE PAST

AWESOME PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THE PAST
G'day folks,
Welcome to some stunning photographs from the past. Who knows? You might recognise someone.

























Clancy's comment: Very interesting, eh? Did you see any relatives?
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26 December 2019 - MUSEO ANTONINI - ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM IN PERU

MUSEO ANTONINI - ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM IN PERU -
G'day folks,This archaeological museum in one of Peru’s most intriguing regions exhibits ancient artifacts from the Nazca civilization.   Located in the Peruvian city of Nazca, the Museo Antonini consists of six gallery spaces exhibiting priceless art and artifacts from the ancient Nazca civilization. The Nazca people inhabited the region sometime between 200 BC and 600 AD, and left behind the ever-mysterious Nazca Lines, a group of monumental geoglyphs in the desert.       The archaeological collection at Museo Antonini preserves and provides a fascinating insight into the Nazca culture. The museum was founded in 1999 following a series of excavations that yielded an impressive collection of ancient instruments, textiles, tools, and ceramics. Today, it displays some 300 artifacts and art objects, as well as a scale model of the Nazca Lines and replicas of Nazca tombs.  Visitors are initially guided into a room that gives an overview of principal archaeological sites in the region, with local plants and excavated objects accompanied by photographs, maps, and information about how the Nazca people may have created and used each artifact. One highlight of the museum is a gallery dedicated to human skulls, which were likely the result of human sacrifice rituals to Inti, the Nazca sun god. The skulls were unearthed in an excavation site approximately 20 miles west of Nazca in the neighboring city of Cahuachi.

And of course, no mention of the Nazca people would be complete without investigation into the Nazca Lines, the most remarkable legacy of this ancient civilization. Spanning some 385 square miles in the Nazca Desert, located about 250 miles south of the Peruvian capital of Lima, the Nazca Lines are a sequence of over 300 gigantic depictions of flora, fauna, and symbols, comprised of more than 10,000 lines. The geoglyphs, some of which stretch out over 5 miles, are best seen from above, which has long begged the question of why they were created, what they were intended to communicate, and to whom.




 Behind Museo Antonini is another example of advanced Nazca engineering, the Bisambra aqueduct, an ancient hydraulic system that directed water from the Bisambra canal to nearby Nazca settlements.  Clancy's comment: Wow. Ancient artifacts enchant me, and it amazes me how sophisticated these people were.
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25 December 2019 - CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS AROUND THE WORLD

CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS AROUND THE WORLD 
G'day folks,
Happy Christmas to you all. Many thanks to those who have appeared on my blog this year, and a special thanks to my loyal followers. 
Today, I depict the decorations that people put up around their homes at this time of the year. Many spend weeks erecting decorations,  then spend the same amount of time removing them and storing them for next year.
Having spent a lot of time in Thailand, I've always been impressed by the Christmas decorations in that county. Don't forget, Thailand has a population of 77 million people and it is  98% Buddhist. Amazing, eh?
Anyway, here are some examples of decorations erected to celebrate Christmas.






















Clancy's comment: An amazing amount of work, eh? Good for them. Anyway, happy Christmas to you all. Don't forget to say hello to your neighbours. Maybe, invite them over for Christmas dinner. It might make a big difference to their lives.Hey, have one for me. 
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24 December 2019 - BURNT CHRISTMAS TREE IN AUSTRALIA

BURNT CHRISTMAS TREE IN AUSTRALIA 
G'day folks,
Bushfires rage around Australia as I write this post. At least four States are on fire, thousands of hectares of land have been scorched, and hundreds of homes and vehicles have been destroyed. And, it's not over yet. However, symbolically, this Christmas tree appeared in the middle of Sydney.

This burnt Christmas tree was created out of burnt branches and objects from areas affected by the bushfire. It is a powerful symbol of the struggles many Australian families face this festive season.






Now, for those of you who have never experienced a bushfire, here are photographs to justify that Christmas tree.













Clancy's comment: Having fought many bushfires, I can certainly say that they are frightening, and most of the people fighting these fires are volunteers. Let's pause and spare a thought for them.
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23 December 2019 - CURIOUS ATTICS AROUND THE WORLD

CURIOUS ATTICS AROUND THE WORLD
G'day folks,
Ever visited an attic? I certainly have. In fact, one of my bedrooms in America was an attic.
A n attic is the ultimate guardian of secrets; a hiding place for all sorts of things disguised in the darkness and the dust– family history, forgotten treasure, architectural follies and perhaps a few skeletons in the closet? I thought it was about time we dedicated a brief compendium to the attic: the most mysterious and seductive part of any old house with creaky floorboards. Here are some examples ...



















Clancy's comment: Some are very cozy, eh?
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22 December 2019 - THE PAREDONES - ANCIENT RUINS IN PERU

THE PAREDONES - ANCIENT RUINS IN PERU -
G'day folks,These overlooked ruins give an intimate look at the Inca Empire's urban planning prowess.  Many travelers arrive in Nazca thinking of the area’s namesake culture and its signature archaeological curiosity. But unknown to most, there’s a small site that preserves a trace of another fascinating civilization. 
  The Paredones (“The Walls”) archaeological site, built just outside of modern-day Nazca, was an Inca administrative center built in the 1400s, likely as a link between the coastal and inland settlements. It’s a small site—by no means as awe-inspiring as the civilization’s most famous city—but it’s interesting nonetheless.


The thick walls are essentially a set of compressed mud walls built atop a series of terraces. The ruins give visitors a glimpse of the Inca Empire’s highly organized expansion, which saw it establish amazing cities and administrative centers throughout western South America, all while imposing its language and traditions onto the conquered cultures. They’re evidence of the Inca Empire’s control over transportation and urban planning within their expanding realm.




Unfortunately, whether due to the original construction materials—rectangular adobe bricks built up on a base of solid stone—or the environment, these ruins are crumbling in places. They haven’t been fully restored, but it also doesn’t take much imagination to envision their original form. A trail leads up and around a small hill past administrative buildings, warehouses, barracks, an observation tower, and a ceremonial area.


Clancy's comment: Like all ancient sites that I've posted on my blog, I'd love to spend a few hours with a metal detector.I'm ...




 

21 December 2019 - KATY JIANG - GUEST ILLUSTRATOR

KATY JIANG - GUEST ILLUSTRATOR -
G'day folks,
I always enjoy promoting and hosting illustrators because I am hopeless at drawing anything. Anyway, here is my interview with an inspiring illustrator from Australia.
Welcome, Katy ...

1.   TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF AND YOUR ILLUSTRATING JOURNEY.
          My name is Katy Jiang, also knowns as Hong Jiang - 江泓. I was born and raised in Shanghai, China. I first came to Perth, Australia, in 2004, when I was working as an interior designer. At that time, I would’ve never thought of changing my career. I suppose it was the life guided me. 
     I always love art. From a very young age, I started to learn traditional Chinese ink painting. From the age of ten, I began to learn western painting. I excelled at still life drawing, figure painting, Chinese ink painting, and Chinese Baimiao drawing.
However, when I grew up, I couldn’t see any future for pursuing art as a career in China. I chose to do interior design after I graduated from university, so I could make a living.
          Not until I immigrated to Australia, I returned to the art career. It was a brave decision. But I was very thankful for this country because there’s a lot of freedom here. You dare to speak and do the things that you never dare to do before. I’ve been very encouraged and supported by my friends and family in Australia. Without them, I would never embark on this new journey.
2.   WERE YOU GOOD AT DRAWING AS A KID?
Yes, I was pretty good at drawing as a kid.
3.   WHEN AND HOW DID YOU BECOME AN ILLUSTRATOR?
I started to do illustrations for my first kid’s book in 2007. It was a chapter book that I wrote for my friends’ kids. I self-published it in 2009. The book is called ‘Sandy and the Magic Chinese Book’, and it’s on Amazon.
Then I put my career on pause for a few years as I had to raise my two young boys. It was the time I began to have access to a variety of children’s books, which led me to a new path in narrative arts.
In 2014, I generated a new idea for my second children’s book. It turned out to be one of the biggest challenges. I wrote and rewrote the manuscript at least 20 times, changed the title 5 times and drew more than 60 pieces of draft version illustrations and 50 pieces of developed sample illustrations. I wanted to make this book right and to be loved by young children. Later on, I joined the SCBWI Australian West group and gained  more knowledge from the professionals in the publishing industry. Another five years passed, I kept on working on the same book, and alongside that one, I came up with more new ideas for picture books. It was fantastic! You never know what the future holds for you.




4.   WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT BEING AN ILLUSTRATOR?
The thing I enjoy the most about being an illustrator is to imagine wild, to become a part of the fictional world and to discover a new way of narrating the story.
5.   WHAT IS THE HARDEST THING ABOUT BEING AN ILLUSTRATOR?
To learn new skills in illustration, such as the digital app.
6.   DO YOU WORK FOR YOURSELF, OTHERS OR BOTH?
Yes, I work for myself. I’m always open to collaboration. Love to help out those who need me.
7.   WHAT WERE YOU IN A PAST LIFE, BEFORE YOU BECAME AN ILLUSTRATOR?
I was first a child who dreamt of becoming an artist. Years went by, I became an academic student learning lots of difficult subjects. Then I graduated and worked as an interior designer, designing offices for people who worked in the box. After I quit the design, I worked as a cleaner, a babysitter, a draftsman, and finally, I set myself free, steering into art and illustration and writing.
8.   WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT?
To become the person who I am now.
9.   WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON AT THE MOMENT?
At the moment, I’m looking for an agent and trying to pitch my story to the right publishers. At the same time, I’m working on building up my social network, opening myself up to the community.
10.                WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE MEDIUM?
Pencil, ink and watercolour.
11.                WHAT INSPIRES YOU?
Many great books I read, people I met, a good piece of music, artwork, and of course nature.
12.                WHAT DO YOU PREFER TO ILLUSTRATE?
Fairy Tales.
13.                DO YOU HAVE ANY TIPS FOR EMERGING ILLUSTRATORS?
Okay, tips. I’d say you need to work really really hard, day and night! Nah, I’m kidding. Just be confident, patient and persistent. Remember to you use your heart to draw, not the tools.
14.                DO YOU SUFFER FROM ILLUSTRATOR’S BLOCK?
Yes, I do, but who doesn’t? It’s the suffering makes you advance and evolve.
15.                DO YOU HAVE A PREFERRED SCHEDULE?
Not really. I can’t wait for everything in perfect condition. I often come up with a rough plan or set up a deadline, then do it accordingly.
16.                DO YOU HAVE A FAVOURITE PLACE TO ILLUSTRATE?
Yes, often it’s in my bedroom where I set up a drawing desk against a big window.
17.                WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST JOY IN YOUR WORK?
To share my ideas with my kids.




18.                WHO IS YOUR FAVOURITE ILLUSTRATOR AND WHY?
I liked many famous illustrators. My favourites are Feng Zikai, Arthur Rackham, Cicely Mary Barker, and Hergé. From my childhood, there’s the one I particularly liked.That’s Osamu Tezuka, the Japanese manga artist. I loved and still love Astro Boy. I remember when I was a little girl, I was very connected to the character Atom and I would draw him after each episode. Tezuka created such a legendary figure, giving it human emotions and bringing it to life. He was undoubtly a Pioneer at the time!
19.                WHAT’S THE GREATEST COMPLIMENT YOU EVER RECEIVED?
Not long ago, I read my latest version of the manuscript to my younger son. After he listened to the story, we had an interesting conversation. “I like it, it’s better,” he said. “Is it better than the old version?” I asked.“Ahem,” he replied, then added, “It's better than this book.” He showed me the book that he read the night before, and asked me again, “Why can’t your book get published, mum?”Well, to me, that is the greatest compliment.
20.                WHAT WAS THE WORST COMMENT YOU EVER RECEIVED?
That was back in the 80s when I was about ten in China. One day, I was notified of the third place in the Annual National(Chinese) Children’s Art Award and my artwork being displayed the exhibition in Beijing. I remembered my art teacher gave me the worst comment when she handed me the certificate and the gifts. “Don't be too proud of yourself,” she said. “Many kids are doing better than you.”I’d never forgotten her words, and it reminds me of being humble.
21.                WRITERS ARE SOMETIMES INFLUENCED BY THINGS THAT HAPPEN IN THEIR OWN LIVES. ARE YOU?
I guess there’s a bit of that.
22.                HOW MANY BOOKS HAVE YOU ILLUSTRATED?
So far, I have been illustrating the third book of mine.
23.                HAVE YOU WON ANY PRIZES OR AWARDS?
Yes, I have won some art awards and prizes in my childhood. Some are quite memorable.
24.                WHAT DID THEY MEAN TO YOU?
I think those are the achievements in the past. I shall not linger on them too much.
25.                OTHER THAN DRAWING, WHAT ELSE DO YOU LOVE?
I love painting, reading, cooking, swimming and snorkelling.
26.                WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO ALL WORLD LEADERS IF YOU HAD THE OPPORTUNITY?
Please focus the agendas on humanity, diversity, environment and education. And think about working together, rather than individually.
27.                DESCRIBE YOUR PERFECT DAY.
My perfect day: Let it begin with the hot air balloon trip at sunrise. Shortly after its landing, (oh, it lands on the warm white beach.) I walk along the soft, smooth sand, then dip into the sapphire blue water. From a distance, I see a big boat sailing towards me. I swim over and people on the boat waving at me. When I get on board, I’m welcomed by the whole crew, among which are my family and friends. I happily stay on the boat, enjoying the sailing and good company with everyone. There is a variety of healthy food, drinks, some classic entertainment and lots of reading materials. And they are all free! After the whole day’s fun, the boat anchored near an island. I retreat in one of the comfortable bedrooms on board with my family. I lie on my bed, reading on until I fell asleep. Then I start to dream, dreaming of another perfect day.




28.                WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE FUTURE?
Keep doing what I’m doing. Hopefully, my books can be published soon.
29.                HAVE YOU MET SOME GREAT PEOPLE ALONG THE WAY?
Yes, I’d say many. They’re ordinary people, but they are special to me. They are all very kind, generous and always give more than they take.
30.                ANYTHING YOU’D LIKE TO ADD?
I’d say thank you, Clancy, for giving me the opportunity on the Q&A section. It’s great to meet and connect with many professionals on social media. Thanks for reading. If you’d like to know more about my work, please feel free to follow me on Instagram, LinkedIn or Facebook.


Any personal request, please simply send me an email.
katy@katyjiangart.comInstagram: @katyjiangart      Facebook: @katyjiangartLinkedIn: Katy Jiangwww.katyjiangart.com





Clancy's comment: Welcome, Katy. Love ya work. So much talent. So much imagination. Best wishes.

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