Janice Law's Blog, page 19
November 4, 2012
First sketch for Death & the King
First sketch for Death & the King
Traditional Subject
Death and the Maiden was a favorite subject with northern European painters in the medieval and renaissance periods, a good opportunity to depict nubile young ladies in scanty clothing, as if death had a lecherous eye.
I thought I’d try death and the old king instead.
November 3, 2012
Branding
The Lord High Executioner in the Mikado had a little list of folk who would not be missed. Let me add the whole concept of ‘branding’ to that useful list. Our local university recently took a concern with its ‘brand’, not its product, naturally, to ridiculous heights by threatening legal action against a local high school that uses a similar husky dog logo.
Get a grip, people. Everyone from athletic departments to writers is now urged to cultivate the brand, which in my estimation is just another pernicious step toward the commodification of everything and one reason so much writing and art work is now so boring.
As for universities, they might better mind their students - and graduation rates- and the ‘brand’ would take care of itself.
October 30, 2012
Finished painting of cat and moonlight
Finished painting of cat and moonlight
October 28, 2012
Sketch for a new night scene- with famous cat
Sketch for a new night scene- with famous cat
October 27, 2012
Tour de France Route
The route for the 2013 Tour de France has been published, including two monster stages, a 242 K stage that includes the iconic climb of Mont Ventoux and stage 18 featuring not one, but two ascents of the killer Alpe d’Huez. Commentators are already excited and fans, likewise.
But not this one. Considering that the Tour and much of the peloton have been making strenuous efforts to clean up the drugs mess, I wonder if it is really fair of the organizers to push ever more difficult stages. And this is not just in the Tour. Keeping up with the Jones has also brought more and more difficult climbs to both the Giro and the Vuelta.
The reasons are not hard to find and chief among them has to be the television coverage. The fans at the roadside see the racers flash past on the descents and the flats or struggle up the mountains. The TV fans, however, are potentially sitting for hours at a time. To keep them in their seats, the commentary is often super-heated, the images, spectacular, and the action - the networks hope – non-stop.
The result is a push for more climbs, more spectacular descents, more opportunities for the celebrated suffering and endurance of bicycle racing. For the best amusement of the spectators – sure. But not, I think, in the best interests of the racers.
October 12, 2012
And for a season starting without NHL hockey, a hockey mystery
And for a season starting without NHL hockey, a hockey mystery
October 11, 2012
One of my favorite older novels and the fruit of many years of...
One of my favorite older novels and the fruit of many years of doing weekly movie reviews
Available again from Wildside Press at http://www.wildsidebooks.com
October 10, 2012
Having new books published is a great pleasure but having...
Having new books published is a great pleasure but having favorite novels reissued comes a close second. Backfire is one of the later Anna Peters novels and has just been published by Wildside. Anna takes on the case of an immigrant nurse accused of arson – and murder.
October 9, 2012
Finished painting of grape vines- and catbirds
Finished painting of grape vines- and catbirds
