Design Toscano: “Write a Review” Contest

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contest, Design Toscano, Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo, sculpture, St. Francis of Assisi, thankful, Vatican Lions

Artist and art historian Giorgio Vasari once said: “Anyone who has seen Michelangelo’s David has no need to see anything else by another sculptor, living or dead.”

I absolutely agree with this 110%. David is one of the most finely sculpted statues in the world, and a personal favourite of this artist. And when I first laid eyes on a magazine ad featuring the beautiful Design Toscano desktop-size replica David statue back in 2005, I knew that I had to have him.

Someday…

Fast-forward 11 years to a day last fall — I saw it listed on Amazon at a price I could afford. It was still a splurge, but one that I was more than happy to make.

The Design Toscano Twitter account was nice enough to reply:

Fast-forward again to January 30, 2017. I spied this on Design Toscano’s Twitter page:

Weighing the Cost

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Bible, eternity, Lazarus and the rich man, soul

Gabriel Metsu, “Lazarus and the Rich Man”

The next time you’re tempted to want more, remember this verse. Sometimes having everything really means having nothing. In life, everything is a compromise. If you want this, you’ll have to sacrifice that. We must always ask ourselves, “What am I willing to give up?”

Love & Marriage

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Bible, bride, love, marriage, Sunday Scripture, wedding

Last Saturday, one of my oldest and dearest friends got married! So what better topic for this month’s Sunday Scripture post than marriage and what the Bible has to say about it?

Today’s post is fondly dedicated to newlyweds Megan & Tim. ♥

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

~ Ephesians 4:2-3

Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.

~ Colossians 3:18-19

B-Grade Horror: Better Isn’t Always Best, But Sometimes More Is More

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Army of Darkness, B-Grade Horror, Bruce Campbell, Evil Dead 2, horror films, Ray Harryhausen, The Evil Dead, Vincent Price

You’ve heard the phrase, “It’s so bad, it’s good”? Or “He’s so ugly, he’s cute”? Well, that’s exactly how I like my horror movies: So bad, they’re good.

With the 2016-17 television season pretty much over for the summer, I’ve found myself with more time to watch movies. Wanting something scary and fun, I decided I would revisit some ’80s cult classic horror: Sam Raimi’s “Evil Dead” trilogy.

The first film, “The Evil Dead” premiered in 1981. Its sequel, “Evil Dead 2” came six years later in 1987. The final film, “Army of Darkness” closed out the series in 1992.

The Lord Is With Us

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Art, comfort, Jesus, Peter Paul Rubens, Raphael, refuge, Sunday Scripture, trust

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.

~ Psalm 46:1-3

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

~ Isaiah 41:10

Dynamation Creations: My Top 10 Ray Harryhausen Creatures

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#Harryhausen100, Clash of the Titans, cyclops, hydra, Jason and the Argonauts, Kali, Medusa, Ray Harryhausen, Skeleton Army, stop-motion animation, The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, The Golden Voyage of Sinbad

So, I’ve had Ray Harryhausen on the brain lately, though he’s never very far from my mind because I follow the Ray & Diana Harryhausen Foundation‘s account on Twitter.

A few weeks ago, they were tweeting about a number of Harryhausen’s movies that would be airing in the UK over the bank holiday weekend. One of the films was “It Came From Beneath the Sea” — a fabulous sci-fi thriller from 1955 which features an amazing giant octopus created by Ray.

It also happened to be a film I had never seen. So that was my Tuesday night sorted out! Side note: I watched the colourized version, and while I normally don’t like to see the colourization of black and white films (or photography for that matter), this movie definitely benefited from the addition of colour!

The four-year anniversary of the animation legend’s death was earlier this month, and while I was programming some tweets for the day, I reread my previous post, “Creature Feature: Ray Harryhausen’s Mythical Menagerie“. Then a friend sent me a link to a Harryhausen article on one of my new favourite blogs: Wolfbane Blooms. A few days later, Wolfbane Blooms posted yet another Harryhausen article that really piqued my interest: “The 10 Best Ray Harryhausen Monsters“.

A list. You KNOW I love lists! And monsters. And Ray Harryhausen. Sooo… surely you know what’s coming now: My own top 10 list! Now, since Ray didn’t like using the term “monster” for his creations, I’m not going to limit my list to only the “monsters”. After all, not all of his creatures were baddies!

A Broken Spirit & Contrite Heart

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Bible, Carlo Crivelli, christianity, contrite heart, God, Jesus, Psalm 51, Sunday Scripture

~ Psalm 51 ~

“Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.

For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge. Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.

Am I Enough?

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Art, artist, Bible, Body of Christ, christianity, Fearfully Wonderfully Me, God, Jesus, Painting, Sunday Scripture

Am I enough? This is a question that I think everyone has asked at some point in his or her life.

Am I good enough? Am I smart enough? Am I doing enough?

As a Christian, I find myself struggling with these thoughts even more. When I stand before God, will He say, “Well done, good and faithful servant,” or “Get away from me, you evildoer, I never knew you”?

Emily is a fellow WordPress blogger who runs “Fearfully Wonderfully Me“. Her posts are genuine and inspirational, and I admire her so much for the manner in which she approaches the topic of Jesus and our relationships with Him. Recently she published “God’s Stitches“, and her post inspired me to write a rather lengthy comment, which in turn prompted this post today.

Return to 1313 Mockingbird Lane: Eddie Munster Autograph!

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autograph, Butch Patrick, cool beans, Ed Ames, Eddie, Leila Lilley, The Munsters

Every once in a while, something really, really cool happens. And it’s always that much better when it’s something you’re not expecting.

Last fall, on October 5, I woke up to the grooviest email ever. I got a letter from Leila Lilley.

In case you’re not this far “in the know”, Leila Lilley is Butch Patrick’s lovely wife. Butch Patrick. As in THE Butch Patrick. Known affectionately to Munster fans the world over as Eddie.

Excuse me, what???

The Lost Art of Animation Backgrounds

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animation backgrounds, Art, Art Lozzi, artist, Disney, Eyvind Earle, Flintstones, Scooby Doo, Sleeping Beauty, Walt Peregoy

Of all the art forms that face undeserved neglect, perhaps none is as underappreciated as the humble animation background.

“Peter Pan” (1953)

Which actually seems pretty ludicrous. Whether it’s a classic Saturday morning cartoon or a mega-hit Disney movie, the backgrounds are what showcase the characters we tune in to see. These painstakingly hand-painted delights create mood and set the atmosphere of the scene. What would Scooby Doo be without the gloriously gruesome castle on the hill — its trees dark, ominous and foreboding? I’m sure you’d agree, Scooby and the gang running across a plain white page just wouldn’t cut it.

Scooby Doo, “A Gaggle of Galloping Ghosts” (1970)

Things are quite different today (unfortunately so) thanks to modern technology, computers and CGI. There are few, if any, hand-animated films anymore, with even Disney joining the Dark Side and going digital. But that’s all the more reason for us to look back in awe and appreciation of the lost art of animation backgrounds.