Merry Christmas

Dear Gentle Readers,

From Vision and Verse, the place for art and authors, the place to find new and exciting artists and authors, as well as take a look at the old masters, I wish you the happiest of holidays and a happy, healthy 2017.

It's been a rough few months here, with December being the worst. Hopefully 2017 will find us all a little better off.

See you in January.
Hugs,
Carol

Charming Deception

Dear Gentle Readers,

A few years ago I made ornaments with the covers of my books for the Christmas Tree in the office. I'm pleased to tell you Charming Deception, Through the Portal has finally been published and is available on Amazon.com in kindle format. Paperback will be available in early 2017.

I began writing Charming Deception while on vacation in Clearwater Beach, Florida, where much of the story takes place.

This cover of Charming Deception was shot on the beach of the Sheraton Sand Key Resort, where we were staying. We were celebrating our thirtieth wedding anniversary at the same resort where we stayed on our honeymoon.

The resort was STILL amazing. Large, beautiful rooms with fantastic views of the Gulf of Mexico, a wonderful wait staff, and great restaurants and shops. It was a terrific second honeymoon.

The story of Charming Deception follows a woman who wakes up naked, with no memory,  in an unfamiliar hotel room at night with a  man who claims to be her husband.  From there, it takes some strange turns.

Body doubles, triples, and clones,  a nasty king from a medieval castle, portals to other worlds,  and aliens round off this unusual love story.




                                                     

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Favorite Holiday Cocktail Recipes

Good Morning Gentle Readers,

Today I have for you the favorite holiday cocktail recipes for your holiday parties.  These are from FREE-N-FUN Christmas, a part of the Oriental Trading Co.  This site holds a plethora of ideas on decorating, homemade gifts for crafters of all ages, and recipes. If you are not familiar with this site, you still have time to acquaint yourself.

My personal favorite cocktail is the Peach Bellini.  I first had one in Venice long ago.  I don't know how THEY made it, but I use equal parts Prosecco and peach juice.  I have used white grape juice when I couldn't find peach juice.  Frozen grapes make good ice cubes in this version.  Try one.

Have a wonderful day!

Hugs,

Carol

Link:

http://www.bing.com/search?q=FREE-N-Fun%20Christmas&pc=cosp&ptag=A316A5D3C6E4B4B068EF&form=CONMHP&conlogo=CT3210127

I Need Christmas by Carol Ann Kauffman

After a depressing year of sadness, loneliness, and self-doubt, successful civil engineer and former All-American basketball star Elizabeth (Betsy) Curry returns home to Oakville, Ohio, for the Christmas holidays a depressed and broken women. 

Reeling from her bitter divorce from the handsome, charming, but morally decrepate Tommy DeMalio, her college sweetheart and first big love, who left her after two years of what she thought was a good marriage for a stripper he met at an office bachelor party for her co-worker, Betsy feels lost and empty. Not exactly anticipating the happy holiday with her family and their multitude of joyful Christmas customs and long-time storybook-like traditions, she knows she needs them in order to heal.

Once comfortable at home and feeling somewhat better about herself, Tommy shows up and claims he wants a reconciliation, throwing her back into the self-destructive cycle of doubt, hostility, and suspision she is trying so hard to escape.

She discovers her father has set her up with his protégé at work, the tall, handsome, athletic red-haired Patrick, who, try as hard as she can, she can’t find a single thing she doesn’t like about him.
So, what’s the problem? Betsy feels it’s too soon for her to love again. How can she love anyone again when she doesn’t like herself or what she’s become since the break-up. Also, she fears she will hurt the sweet, gentle Patrick.

Will the love, joy, and goodwill of the holiday season coupled with the many long-time holiday customs and Curry family traditions help Betsy to find herself again? Will she be strong enough to lift herself out of her self-induced prison so that she can take another chance on love?

Buy Link:  http://tinyurl.com/name 

Queen Catherine of Braganza by Andrey Flack

Dear Gentle Readers,

The Butler Institute of American Art has acquired a new breathtaking beauty. It is one giant plaster sculpture of a woman, Queen Catherine of Braganza, a creation of American sculptor Audrey Flack. 

And even though she is big, she has 
a delicate beauty about her, her lovely spiral curls, her long, slender fingers delicately grasping her alabaster sphere, the elegant flow of her beautiful gown, with one shoe pointing out, about to step off the pedestal.

From the Butler's New Acquisitions Article:

Flack’s 10-foot high plaster sculpture is an homage to Queen Catherine of Braganza, and is part of a series of sculptures by the artist based upon that theme. (The borough of Queens, NY, was named for the Portuguese-born monarch who later became Queen of England after her marriage to Charles II in 1620.)

The plaster statue features a steel and reinforced steel armature, and is presented standing on a half-dome base. An unusual element of Flack’s sculpture is an LED lighted globe that the subject holds in her left hand.

This plaster work was the prototype for a 13-foot bronze sculpture—a commission awarded to the artist by Lisbon, Portugal. The sculpture was a gift to the Butler by the artist, and is installed in the Beecher Center’s Novak Gallery, Youngstown.

Stop in and see this gorgeous lady at Butler Institute of American Art, 524 Wick Ave., Youngstown, OH 44502, Phone 330.743.1107, or online at www.butlerart.com.

Hugs,
Carol

The Fabulous Artwork of Dutch Artist Suzan Drummen

The Fabulous Artwork of Dutch Artist Suzan Drummen

This gorgeous circular artwork is like giant floor jewelry.  I have never seen anything like the work of Dutch artist Suzan Drummen.

Suzan Drummen is a visual arts teacher in the Netherlands.  Some have called her work psychedelic.  The beads, stones, mirrors, etc. are placed loosely on the floor, making them ethereal and very vulnerable to destruction. 

 Side-view of Suzan's work look like giant sundaes with cherries on the top.  The must be viewed from above to get the full effect.

Directly from the Website by:www.moniquewijbrands.nl

From this website you can view many multidisciplinary works in the media of painting, photography, installation and public art. The works are a playful investigation of space, illusion, optical effects and other visual phenomena as part of a broad exploration of visual perception and the limits of beauty. There is an ongoing inquiry into the limits of seduction and repulsion.
The installations for example, are made from crystal, chrome-plated metal, precious stones, mirrors and optical glass. From a distance they appear clear and orderly, yet upon closer inspection, the eyes become disoriented by the many details and visual stimuli. That moment, of being able to take it all in or not, is explored, time and time again. The visual perception is challenged, requisitioned and intensified.

This website features a selection of the work, in chronological order, with the most recent work at the top. 

Thanks to: family, friends, fellow artists, exhibition curators, art advisors, clients, commissioners, architects and those involved in the production and realisation of the works. 

t

Suzan Drummen

1990 – Present (23 years) Amsterdam

"As an artist I make multidisciplinary works in the media of painting, photography,installation, and public art.  The works are a playful investigation of the space, illusion, optical effects, and other phenomena as a part of a broad exploration of visual perception and the limits of beauty.  There is an ongoing inquiry into the limits of seduction and repulsion.

The installations for example, are made from crystal, chrome-plated metal, precious stones, mirrors and optical glass. From a distance they appear clear and orderly, yet upon closer inspection, the eyes become disoriented by the many details and visual stimuli. That moment, of being able to take it all in or not is explored, time and time again. The visual perception is challenged, requisitioned and intensified.

Developing my own visual work is the main thing I do, but many other activities such as teaching, being member of art committees and initiate new art projects are so interwoven that I can hardly make a distinction between my activities. It is a great a stream of actions, meetings and findings that fertilize each other immensely."

The fabulous Dutch Artist Suzan Drummen uses a very special canvas for her work.  She uses the floor!  She uses crystals, chromed metals, precious stones, mirrors, and faceted optical lens to make large scale murals using complex circular patterns, reminding me of Tibetian sand painting... and the circular written language of Gallifrey.d

Jack Vettriano

 Jack Vettriano

​Meet my new favorite artist, Jack Vettriano.  His biography begins "born in Fife, Scotland in 1951." Hold on, Readers! This Italian girl recognizes an Italian last name when she hears one. Intrigued, I continued reading that this talented man quit school and went to work in the mining industry. His girlfriend bought him a set of watercolor paints for his twenty-first birthday (Thank you, dear, whoever you are, you did the world a favor!) and from then on he spent his free time teaching himself to paint.

        There is something about his work that draws you into the painting.  The first one I ever saw was his The Singing Butler, which shows an elegantly dressed couple dancing on the beach in the rain with their butler with an open umbrella. Their is such a romantic aura in this beautifully done painting. Love it.

  And then I discovered a whole plethora of paintings by Jack Vettriano as his publishing company's website

 www.heartbreakpublishing.com

where you can browse and buy Jack Vettriano reasonably priced posters, cards, postcards, calendars, journals, as well as canvas prints.  It is a beautiful and easy to navigate website.  

I discovered Dance Me to the End of Love, a spectacular Audrey Hepburn-like beauty in perfect ballroom dancing hold with her striking partner.

​Jack Vettriano was born Jack Hoggan to a Scottish father and an Italian mother. When he was 36 and newly separately, he moved to Edinburgh and took his mother's maiden name and went on to become an international success with studios in Scotland and London.  The Singing Butler has been the best selling image in Britain and is very popular here as well.

​Those who criticize his work as "too erotic" have to be those guys who prefer to look at paintings of fish or maybe still life prints of fruits and veggies.

​Please visit Jack Vettriano - Official Jack Vettriano Page on Facebook for  news on Jack's current and upcoming gallery showings and current work.  Some other very interesting links are:

www.easyart.com/prints/jack-vettriano

www.vettriano-art.com/

www.allposters.com/-st/Jack-Vettriano-     Posters_c29036_.htm

Elspeth McLean, the Dot Queen

Look at what this woman does with stones and paint!

These gorgeous painted stones are by Elspeth McLean, an Australian artist born in Gooseberry Hill, a small suburb in western Australia. She showed her artistic tendencies at a very early age.







She moved to the East Coast of Australia at the age of nineteen to follow her dream of becoming  a full time artist.


Elspeth now lives in Canada.

Elspeth creates breathtaking masterpieces of tiny, colorful dots in beautiful patterns on round ocean stones.  Each one is more beautiful than the next. 

Follow Elspeth McLean on Facebook by visiting her beautiful page at:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Elspeth-McLean-artist-/113764415348201?fref=ts




None of these photos are mine. I got them online or at website.  Her work is available for sale at 
etsy. com

The Art of Ohioan Stevan Dohanos

Stevan Dohanos was born in the steel-mill town of Lorain in northeastern Ohio in 1907.  He is considered a realist. He founded the Famous Artists School in Westport, Connecticut.

What drew me to his work is the likeness to another famous American artist, Norman Rockwell. 

Like Rockwell, he liked to show American life at it's most pure and innocent stage. He believed in clean, strong images and a simple, uncluttered image as the basis of a great picture.

For those who want to know more about Stevan Dohanos, all information for this post was found on the following to sites:

Kimono Painting, The Kubota Collection

The Kubota Collection 

Dear Gentle Readers,

    Many years ago, William and I had the distinct
pleasure of viewing this fabulous textile art exhibition in
Canton, Ohio at the Canton Museum of Art.  The
exhibition ran from February 8, 2009 to April 26, 2009.
and was only the second showing in the United States,
first appearing at the Timken Museum in San Diego in 2008 and ending in January, 2009.

    Itchiku Kubota was born in Japan in 1917 and became a textile art apprentice as a very young man.   His formal education and textile training were disrupted by the Second World War, when Itchiku was sent to war and  was captured by the Russians.   He was imprisoned in a concentration camp in Siberia, forgotten about by everyone except his family, and he drew and painted the Siberian sunsets in order to keep his sanity amid the deplorable conditions.

Itchiku Kubota is best known for reviving and modernizing a lost art of fabric dyeing and decorating called "tsujigahana," which means
"flowers at the crossroads."  It was a technique used in the fifteenth century with natural dyes, but was lost because of it's difficulty in controlling the resulting shading of the textile.

Kubota's masterpiece, "Symphony of Light," was
a series of painted and elaborately decorated silk
kimonos that he said depicted "the grandeur of the universe."  The kimonos were displayed on large black frames and arranged in a giant oval depicting a panoramic view of the seasons of the year.  

The textiles were shaded so that they seamlessly blended into each other ever so slightly, allowing the viewer to almost see the movement of the earth as each breathtaking view is passed.

Once around the oval is not enough to take in the intricate design and the delicate beauty of the shading on the huge silk kimonos, creating a mural of the natural loveliness of the Japanese countryside throughout the seasons.

 The sheer size of these large kimonos, set side by side, filling up the huge exhibit hall, was a scene to behold in itself.  But upon a closer examination of the subtly dyed silks and the elaborately decorated designs was truly inspirational and awe-inspiring.  It was a once in a lifetime, spectacular display that I will fondly remember.

I sent information on this exhibit to several friends, noting "don't miss this event!" Some thought I had lost my mind, thinking that walking around in a room full of kimonas sounded more like punishment than jaw-dropping beauty and inspiration. 

The few who took me up on the offer were amazed at the sheer beauty of Itchiku Kubota's work depicting the grandeur of the universe.

Information for this article is from memory of my visit to the exhibition.  Photos are from the Kubotacollection.com and also Canada's Homage to Nature page, www.historymuseum.ca

Blue Lake by Carol Ann Kauffman

Dear Gentle Readers,

A book changed my life. This book, Blue Lake, was the first book I wrote back in 2011. At first, I went the usual route, sending a query letter to the big traditional publishing company of my choice, then the next, and so on. I got the loveliest rejections letters. I even framed one that said she loved my work.

Each correspondence took weeks, sometimes months. I am not a young person. Time is precious. 

I retired to take care of my mom who fell and broke her hip and could not be rehabilitated. When she passed, I began to write full time.

The manuscripts were piling up. So I decided to go the route of publishing with Kindle Direct Press. It was a decision I have never regretted.

My Time After Time Series, beginning with Blue Lake, is exclusive to Amazon.com.

It's the story of lovers who find each other again and again in different lifetimes, at different times of their lives, and sometimes on a different planet. It is the story of a love that would not be denied.

Amazon Link: http://tinyurl.com/nt2ro9j

When widowed Nicole decided to step back into life in beautiful Albuquerque, New Mexico with Richard, a young handsome British actor who professed his undying love and devotion to her on a daily basis, she mistook his boundless enthusiasm for her as little more than youthful impetuousness. She had no idea where their relationship would take her physically or emotionally. She would find herself in many dazzling international locations, putting her own life on hold, simply to be with him. She had no concept how strong her commitment to him would grow and to what extent she would go to protect him and ensure his safety and wellbeing. And she certainly had no idea the depth of his devotion to her, an unlikely but undeniable love that would span continents and a decade of their lives, entwining them closer and closer, while his career, their families, and other relationships pulled them farther and farther apart. BLUE LAKE is a story of the power of love.
The series, TIME AFTER TIME, follows a pair of quintessential lovers, Richard and Nicole, through their lives together, in different places, in different times, with different names and faces and sometimes even on other planets. This follows the alternative theory that the relationships we forge in this lifetime, both the good and the bad, are continued into the future, and are rooted deeply in our past. Whatever we do, whomever we love, and the good and evil deeds we do today follow us into the future. Unsettled issues will present themselves again and again, until they are ultimately resolved. Those people who have had a profound effect on us in this lifetime will find us again in the future. And although everything changes, love remains.

Books in the TIME AFTER TIME series are: BLUE LAKE, BELTERRA,
The BASLICATO, BENTLEY SQUARE, WAITING FOR RICHARD, and LORD OF BLAKELEY. They do not need to be read in order.

Happy Thanksgiving 2016

From  our Vision and Verse family to yours, we wish you a happy Thanksgiving Day.  We want to take a moment today to tell you  we're grateful you stop by to see what's happening here at our little online place for Art and Authors. Without you, our gentle readers, we are simply an online diary.

It's easy to overlook all of our blessings when we're so busy with work and family and everything else that competes for our attention, but let's take a moment to be thankful for all we have. Life is uncertain and comes with no guarantees. Find some love and peace today, even if you have to go out and look for it. Forego being right and choose to be happy instead. Find joy in a pretty sunset or a lovely autumn tree. Look for the good. I know sometimes you really have to look hard to find it, but it's worth the effort. 

Choose peace. Choose to love each other. Abandon your quest for perfection. If it exists, it's got to be extremely boring. Give up an old grudge you've been harboring for years. It gives you nothing but baggage to carry. Lighten your load. 

Hugs,
Carol

Shelby's Gift by Mary Jane Morgan

                                                                                                                  Author Mary Jane Morgan

Surrogate mother Shelby Harrison gives birth to a baby boy, Kyle, and loves him instantly. He’s all she has left of her sister, Debbie, who was killed in a car accident six months ago. She’s prepared to fight for joint custody even as she battles feelings she knows she shouldn’t have for the man who is Kyle’s father – and her sister’s husband.

Ben Martin is outraged that Shelby wants joint custody of his baby. Yet after his initial anger and feelings of betrayal, Ben suggests a marriage of convenience so that together he and Shelby can provide the love and security he and Debbie wanted their baby to have.

What first seems like a workable solution quickly turns into a nightmare of grief and guilt when Ben and Shelby find themselves fighting a fierce attraction – an attraction that seems the worst possible betrayal of Debbie.

But Debbie has her own opinion and reaches out from the other side to Shelby and Ben, bringing them the love and healing they
to move forward with their lives.

EXCERPT:

Ben led the way to her room, wondering what in the hell had ever possessed him to do this. Desperation. Nothing but sure, deep-rooted desperation and fear. 

No, he’d done it for Kyle. And to help Shelby. She needed him now and he needed her.

He set her luggage down and glanced at her. She looked as scared and vulnerable as he felt, and his heart went out to her. He might be desperate and scared, but no one had forced him to bring her here. It was his choice, and it was the only good choice he could have made. “Everything will be fine, Shelby,” he said reassuringly. “Take a nap. You look about ready to fall over.” He smiled. “Call me if you need anything. I’m here for you.”

     She gave him a soul-searching, lost look. He crossed the room and pulled her against him. Sighing, he laid his cheek on her thick, soft hair. He stroked her back and felt some of her tension ease. Slowly she wrapped her arms around him, then laid her head on his chest.

     As they stood in silence, both there for the other one, a feeling of contentment settled over Ben. “I’m glad you’re here,” he whispered, and much to his surprise, a part of him really meant it.

LINKS:

Mary Jane Morgan

http://www.maryjanemorganauthor.com/

Facebook

 https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mary-Jane-Morgan/747822251897173

Amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/Mary-Jane-Morgan/e/B006BJ20TI/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1424443653&sr=1-2-ent 

A Beautiful Catastrophe by Katheryn Kiden

Amazon Link:
https://www.amazon.com/Beautiful-Catastrophe-Katheryn-Kiden-ebook/dp/B01KRGSSM8/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1479826563&sr=1-1&keywords=A+Beautiful+Catastrophe

Schedule for Nov. 21 - 25, 2016

Beautiful Mill Creek Park Nov. 2016 Photo by Carol Ann Kauffman

Schedule for Nov. 21- 25, 2016

Mon., Nov. 21 - The Art of Albercht Durer

Tues., Nov. 22 - Beautiful Catastrophe Blog Tour

Wed., Nov. 23 - Shelby's Gift by Mary Jane Morgan

Thurs., Nov. 24 - Happy Thanksgiving

Fri., Nov. 25 - Blue Lake by Carol Ann Kauffman

The Baslicato by Carol Ann Kauffman

When Dr. Brook Wilson agreed to take on celebrity Italian race car driver Jason Maxwell, known as"The Baslicato," as her patient, little did she realize their relationship would turn her calm, pleasant, well-ordered life upside down, sending her off on dangerous adventures in southern Italy and northern Ohio.

As she prepares him for his big race, she must deal with his demented wife while driving her boyfriend, Dr, Garrett MacEgan into acts of criminal desperation in a attempt to hold on to her.

When tall, handsome British actor Richard MacKenzie wakes up in the hospital after an accident, he discovers he's a short Italian race car driver named Jason Maxwell, known as THE BASLICATO.

Link: http://tinyurl.com/kd8ymgm