Doodle 4 Google = Fun, fantastic art created by children around the US!

Earlier today a good friend of mine, and a quite fabulous person in general, shared with me a link for Google's Doodle 4 Google. Google set out on a mission to find a kindergarten through twelfth grade student to redesign their logo for millions to see. The idea behind their personalized Google was to follow the guideline of "What I'd like to do someday...". The ideas ranged from astronaut, to artist, to saving the planet to a ton of various other professions or goals these children would like to accomplish.
All of the the Google designs posted on the site were brilliant, colorful, and inspirational pieces that had obviously been given a tremendous amount of time and effort.

And today, May 19th, 2011,  a winner was chosen! Seven year old Matteo Lopez became the national winner with his Astronaut themed google featured below. Love the alien licking Earth!!

As much as I love Google's choice, my own personal favorites include:

Thirteen year old Justas's acquatic Google, which showcased her desire to assist in the "conservation of our underwater universe".

Fifteen year old Allyson's delightfully delicious looking Google which contained images of the sweets she would love to make upon opening her very own bakery. 

And last, but certainly not least, I would like to mention eleven year old Omar's Google doodle devoted to dentistry.

I love seeing children encouraged to do great things and accomplishing something they can be proud of! If you would like to check out the complete Doodle 4 Google page, check out the link below!

Doodle 4 Google

Victorian Hair Jewelry

As the manager of an auction gallery, I continuously come across strange and unusual items that at one point were quite common. I've established my personal likes and dislikes for the objects we come across more frequently, but not one item has stuck in my mind as more disturbing, yet intriguing than victorian hair jewelry.

My initial thought would be that hair jewelry could refer to an adornment or decoration placed in a woman's hair.. But oh no! This is not the case.. Victorian hair jewelry can be bracelets, earrings, necklaces and even rings that are composed of intricately woven human hair!

I personally can't imagine there being a time I felt compelled to remove enough hair from my own head to craft a gift of jewelry for a friend, but there were two main reasons this was done during the victorian era. I'll begin with the less disturbing of reasonings, which was with the intent of providing a token of your love for a friend, family member or significant other. Many times these pieces were designed with engravings for a message, or significant date. I consider this reasonable taking in to consideration that the Civil War was taking place at this time and many loved ones were finding themselves seperated from their families. Mother's would wear locks of hair in a necklace of a husband or son at war, while men at war were adorned with the locks of a loved one at home.

As for the second type of victorian hair jewelry, these were quite often referred to as mourning pieces. The hair of a deceased loved one would be obtained and crafted in to a piece of jewelry. These works were designed with intent to be a constant reminder of the loved one who was lost. But also a reminder that death was a common part of life during this time. With loved ones at war and a much higher infant mortality rate, there was no other choice but to accept it as a part of life that occured more frequently than one would choose.

I may not choose to wear one of these items myself, but if at one time they helped bring comfort to those who lost someone they loved, or were missing someone special, than they get my mark of approval!

Here are a few images of hair jewelry I've come across:

Pair of Jasper F. Cropsey Paintings sold at Clarke Auctions in Larchmont!

                                                    "Prospect Point, Niagra Falls in Winter"
                                                                      Oil on Canvas

                                                              
                                                                  "Autumn in America"
                                                                       Oil on Canvas


    Today I paid a visit to a well established auction gallery in Westchester County by the name of Clarke Auctions. I  had heard from a friend and former colleague that in their May 15th auction there would be a pair of paintings that had been causing quite a stir and could potentially bring a hefty price. Upon viewing the pair of paintings and seeing the estimate of $40-60,000 per work of art, I was finding myself intrigued by the possibilities and decided to make the half hour journey to see firsthand the results of this sale.

     The two oil on canvas paintings were created by an artist named Jasper F. Cropsey. Named accordingly for their subject matter, the two pieces are titled "Prospect Point, Niagra Falls in Winter" and "Autumn in America".Cropsey was a 19th century Hudson River School artist and was known for his vibrant landscapes. The Hudson River School was an art movement created by landscape artists located in the Hudson River Valley that were influenced by romanticism. Romanticism encouraged individual expression and also focused on the presentation of various emotions through the imagery created.

    Upon my arrival at the Clarke gallery, I purchased a catalog which showcased the 427 lots or item(s) that were up for auction this evening."Prospect Point" came in at 234, with "Autumn in America" following immediately after at lot 235. The excitement in the air began to grow at the arrival of page 13, which encompassed lots 218-234, "Prospect Point". The room fell to a hush when it finally came time for the presentation of these high ticket items. A group of Clarke Auction employees established which audience members intended on bidding and then appointed a few extra pairs of eyes to ensure no bid was missed. The floor activity (in-house audience) stole the show and blew the estimate out of the water! The final selling price of "Prospect Point" was a whopping $460,000, while "Autumn in America" was slightly less at $240,000!! These two items alone brought in a total of $700,000 and at the commencement of these two lots the crowd broke in to applause!



If you have never taken the opportunity to visit an auction gallery, I highly suggest you do so. Attending the event is free and you are given the chance to view fantastic works of art, furniture, pottery, chandeliers, jewelry, sterling, sculpture, etc., etc. There's no obligation to buy and if you're lucky you may learn a thing or two, purchase a great quality piece at significantly less than current retail prices, or even catch a bidding extravaganza!   



Please check out the video below to see the excitement and bidding frenzy that took place for Cropsey's "Prospect Point"!