Friday, February 09, 2007

Friday Coffeehouse: An Artist's Blog Worth Noting

Hello, readers-- Just wanted to put in a plug for Regina's new blog. Regina is the one who did the graphics for this site. Her blog, http://www.houseartjournal.blogspot.com/, is a new favorite of mine. My favorite posts of hers so far is her most recent one on wooden toys and her disclaimer one with the lovely photo of the shower curtain. She has an excellent idea for what to do with old scapulars worth reading... for, as we all know, you can't throw them away if they're blessed!

Below is an excerpt from her wooden toys post which I though very well-put, and hence, worth noting. It will hopefully give you a feel for what her *tone* is...

There are many reasons why folks choose to have simple toys or straight wooden toys, but...

"As one mother-writer (whose name I forget but who founded the Natural Baby Catalog) wonderfully reasoned: consider a sunny field of daisies. Picture a child playing in the field. The child and the field belong together -- they fit. What sort of toy fits into that picture next to the child? A Barbie Doll? Rainbow Brite? A plastic laser gun? A Bionicle? Introduce those toys and something jars. Those toys don't fit. Now picture a rag doll with the child -- a wooden truck -- those toys fit. They are natural, like the child. Intuition and instinct. That's why they give their children wooden toys.

Because it's all about beauty, for me. Even when they're lying in a dishevelved way on the floor like above, I like looking at wooden toys. Maybe that one writer was onto something when she said they were more natural. They don't jar the senses. They don't scream for attention. They "fit."

For homemakers (or should we call ourselves, "house artists?"), I think this is an important component of crafting a home. Beauty isn't just filigree, decoration, pictures and curtains and knicknacks we put around our home. It's also about the day-to-day essential components of our home. And it's about molding our children's sensibilities to appreciate beauty by surrounding them by what we ourselves find beautiful. We try to simplify. But we should also remember to beautify. "

I'll leave you on that note!

~Sia, Vancouver, WA

Labels: ,


one of us :: 10:04 AM :: 0 Comments

---------------oOo---------------